MINNEAPOLIS, MN, November 3, 2024: Emeryville, California has been selected through a competitive application process to join a national initiative, called Nature Everywhere Communities, designed to increase access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play. Nature Everywhere Communities is a partnership of the Children & Nature Network, the National League of Cities and KABOOM! that is working with cross-sector teams in more than 70 communities across the U.S. Emeryville plans to address climate resiliency issues while expanding access to nature-based experiences for young children and their families. Emeryville will receive a year of strategic planning, technical support and start-up funding to develop and implement community-driven plans to support early childhood and climate resiliency efforts. 

“Emeryville has a clear vision of how they can help increase nature access for early childhood through multiple lenses to improve early childhood development,” said Sarah Milligan-Toffler, President and CEO of the Children & Nature Network. “The Emeryville team understands the importance of collaboration across the city, school district and early childhood programs. Their momentum is building, and participation as a Nature Everywhere Community will help clarify their vision, identify priorities, build on existing assets, and focus efforts where they will have the most impact. We look forward to supporting these efforts.” 

A growing body of evidence indicates that spending time outdoors, in nature, is essential for children’s healthy development. Time in nature improves physical and mental health, academic outcomes and social-emotional learning. Access to nature-filled spaces and outdoor learning and play helps young children and families thrive – and can support community-wide sustainability, climate resilience, and public health goals. 

“Our goal is to embed child-friendly natural areas throughout our city parks, including bayfront parks, and early childhood centers to improve access and engagement with nature for all of our children,” said Patricia Perasso Weber, Director of Emeryville Children & Nature. “These natural areas will improve climate resilience, with shade trees to combat heat island effect, green infrastructure to manage stormwater, and native, climate adaptive and drought tolerant planting to conserve water, create habitat value, and support pollinators.” 

The city-wide commitment to early childhood nature connections and climate resiliency is evident in the members of Emeryville’s Nature Everywhere Community team. The team consists of staff from Emeryville Children & Nature, Youth Services from the City of Emeryville, Emeryville Child Development Center from the City of Emeryville, and Emeryville Unified School Districts. Through their collaboration, the team hopes to maximize access to local resources, and advocate for and collaborate to achieve shared goals related to young children’s healthy development and climate resiliency. 

“The organizations represented on our Nature Everywhere team are fully committed to launching a comprehensive children and nature strategy. There is momentum and enthusiasm for this effort, focused on early childhood connections to nature, including greening our parks and schoolyards, and climate resilience,” said Susan Donaldson, Emeryville’s Team Lead and EUSD board trustee. “All our Nature Everywhere team members share the view that creating connections with nature holds benefits for our entire community. We are excited to get to work.” 

As a first step, the Emeryville team joined other communities for a Nature Everywhere Vision Lab in Milwaukee, Wisconsin October 28 - 29, to explore proven nature connection strategies and connect with technical assistance experts from the Children & Nature Network, the National League of Cities, and KABOOM!. Over the next year, the Emeryville team will: 

● Engage youth and community residents in creating a vision for increasing access to nature 

● Map community stakeholders, assets and gaps 

● Conduct funding and policy scans 

● Build and deepen regional partnerships 

● Develop and begin implementing an early childhood and climate resiliency action plan 

Throughout the process, Emeryville and other Nature Everywhere community teams will have access to a national peer learning network; technical assistance; case-making research; resources, case studies and planning tools; seed grants of up to $40,000; and eventually, access to larger competitive catalytic grants for implementation. Nature Everywhere partners (Children & Nature Network, National League of Cities, and KABOOM!) will also help communities track outcomes and communicate the impact of their work both locally and nationally. 

For more information about the Emeryville team, contact Susan Donaldson, team lead, at susan.donaldson@emeryusd.org.

For more information about the Nature Everywhere initiative, visit childrenandnature.org/nature-everywhere, and/or contact Laura Mylan, Children & Nature Network, laura@childrenandnature.org.

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About Emeryville Nature Everywhere 

The Emeryville Nature Everywhere team consists of representatives from the City, School District, Emeryville Child Development Center, and YMCA Head Start and the non-profit Emeryville Children & Nature. 

About the Children & Nature Network 

The Children & Nature Network believes, and research proves, that regular time outdoors is essential for children’s healthy development. The non-profit organization leads a global movement of leaders, educators, practitioners and parents working to ensure access to the benefits of nature everywhere children live, learn and play. Learn more at childrenandnature.org and get connected on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and The Trailhead, a free online community for global children and nature leaders. 

About the National League of Cities 

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. NLC’s Center for Leadership, Education, Advancement and Development is the go-to place for city leaders and their partners seeking to improve outcomes for children and families. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

About KABOOM! 

KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace deficits – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially for certain communities. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to create or transform 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have access to the critical benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Deficits to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.