About this event
Interested in connecting with fellow educators?
The Early Childhood Hoosiers Outdoors (ECHO) Network is designed to support education practitioners wanting to get students into outdoor learning settings. We meet on the second Monday of odd months at 4 pm by zoom.
Join us at ECHO Network in January to hear from Kit Harrington. She is the Senior Policy Advisor for the Natural Start Alliance as well as the Director of Communications and Engagement for Voices for Vermont’s Children. Kit was a cofounder of one of the country’s first public-park-based urban outdoor preschools, the Fiddleheads Forest School, as well as the founding director of the Washington Nature Preschool Association, where she helped lead the effort to license outdoor and nature-based programs.
Kit will share information about outdoor and nature-based (ONB) preschool policy advocacy in the United States, in particular, the evolution of ONB preschool licensing efforts to date and how it relates to the field at large. She will also reflect on lessons learned, next steps for states interested in pursuing policy change, and importance considerations for centering equity.
The purpose of this network includes:
- A group of peers: Connecting educators and administrators for support, guidance, encouragement, troubleshooting, etc.
- A common space for sharing resources and best practices
- Opportunities for professional development
- Shared advocacy and continuing education around nature-based programs
- Program observation
- and more!
The network was inspired by a surge of interest in program formats such as Nature Preschools, Forest Kindergartens, and Forest Schools; however, it is an inclusive group for those working with young children in any format. Our interests center on developmentally-appropriate educational opportunities for children in outdoor settings, whether in the woods, on the prairie, or in the schoolyard.
We want this network to be dynamic and responsive to emerging needs of participants. We encourage you to join us on this journey of mutual exploration and learning!
If you are interested in knowing more, sign up here to join. Participants will be added to a Google group to get email updates for monthly meeting times and to post question to others within the group.