Tag Archives: Fix Our Schools

What will Back to School Look Like in Ontario?

June 17, 2020

Since the COVID pandemic hit in mid-March, and Ontario schools shut down, we’ve all surely come to value publicly funded education and schools more than ever before. Not only the learning for students, but also the sense of community, purpose, and routine that it provides our young people. After hearing the Ford government’s approach to reopening child care centres in this province, we anxiously await news from Ontario’s Education Minister Lecce about what “back to school” will look like in September.

In the interim, we consider how other jurisdictions have been approaching school reopening – both near and far:

In the Netherlands, elementary opened on May 11 with almost full attendance and taking the approach of “half-groups”, where half of each class attends school on alternating days, and the youngest learners not social distancing. Of note is how the Netherlands prioritized young children getting back to school ahead of bars, cafes, and restaurants.

Closer to home, according to a Globe & Mail article on June 13, an expert group from Canada’s largest pediatric hospital, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, is advising Ontario’s Ministry of Education to let children play together again when school resumes in the fall.

“Strict physical distancing should not be emphasized to children in the school setting as it is not practical and could cause significant psychological harm. Close interaction, such as playing and socializing, is central to child development and should not be discouraged.” 

However, this same expert group is also recommending that some physical distancing principles remain:

  • Desks should be separated
  • Line-ups ought to be spaced out appropriately
  • Schools should not hold assemblies.

Furthermore, hand-washing, screening for symptoms of COVID-19, as well as contact tracing to be able to isolate infected children and staff will be critical to success. 

More than 6,500 Canadians under the age of 19 have tested positive for the virus, 95 have been admitted to hospital, 18 of those people requiring treatment in an intensive-care unit. Notably, nobody under the age of 19 is known to have died of COVID-19 in Canada. Therefore, while we must not underestimate COVID-19, doctors are making the case that it is time to figure out how to live alongside the virus and to balance risk with the impact on children.

A June 16, 2020 Globe & Mail article took a closer look at Quebec, the first province in Canada to reopen schools, when primary students outside of Greater Montreal returned to classes on May 11. These schools enforced two-metre physical distancing, limited class sizes to 15 students, and created classroom bubbles that kept students from mixing. Out of more than 100,000 students and staff who returned to school, a total of 53 students and teachers were diagnosed with COVID-19 after the reopening. No serious illness was reported.

For the fall, Quebec plans to make school attendance compulsory except in cases of special health circumstances and to fully open primary and secondary schools. The Education Minister also announced that they will prepare a Plan B for online learning for children who end up in isolation due to outbreaks.

In the same Globe & Mail article, Alberta was another province cited. Alberta’s Ministry of Education announced a reopening plan the week of June 8 that provided three scenarios. While the provincial government said that a final decision would be made August 1st, parents and students were told to plan for an almost normal return to school in September.

Fix Our Schools is anxiously awaiting for Ontario’s Ministry of Education to announce its plans for schools in September. In the interim, we have provided input to our provincial government, urging the Province to prioritize a safe, effective return to school in September by:

  • Providing the required funding for school boards to safely re-open in September
  • Working with local school boards and local public health officials to provide weekly updates to the public on the school re-opening/planning process
  • Working with all key stakeholders, including local school boards, public health officials, teachers, education workers, principals, parents, and students to leverage all insights, experience, skills, and knowledge

The 2-million children in Ontario who attend publicly funded schools, and their families, deserve to have education and schools be prioritized by the Ford government. And, quite frankly, our economy demands it! Minister Lecce… over to you!

Fix Our Schools Submission to the Ministry of Education

June 14, 2020

On June 11, 2020, Fix Our Schools sent the following to the Ministry of Education, in response to their request for public input to Ontario’s plan to reopen schools.

Fix Our Schools is pleased to provide the following input to the Ministry of Education, and respectfully asks that the provincial government:

1.Prioritize publicly funded education and a safe, effective re-opening of schools in September as an integral component of re-opening our economy

Despite the fact that restarting schools is an essential driver for Ontario’s economy, the general public is hearing very little about what the provincial government and school boards are doing towards planning for September. At the same time, we are hearing quite a lot about golf courses, restaurants, hair salons, and other businesses. Students, families, communities, and our economy would all greatly benefit from a clear prioritization of publicly funded education and schools by your government.

In fact, in the June 5 edition of a Public Health Ontario document providing a collation of COVID-19 resources (https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/ncov-daily-lit.pdf?la=en), we were disappointed to see that schools were not even allocated their own line item. Furthermore, almost all the resources cited under the heading “Schools, Childcare & Businesses” were pertaining to businesses – not schools or childcares. 

2. Commit to providing the necessary funding for school boards to be able to reasonably plan and implement a safe, effective re-opening of schools in September.

Local school boards, with guidance from local public health officials, will ultimately be charged with re-opening Ontario’s schools for September. They need to start planning as soon as possible, and they need the certainty of adequate provincial funding – something that has been lacking for decades.

However, the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that, with political will, previously unimaginable public resources can be found and allocated. Now is the time for this same level of political will to be applied to our publicly funded schools and education system. Ontario’s 2-million students need to know that the adults in charge are committed to their education, their mental health, and their development. Our economy also demands a prioritization of public education and schools.

In this time of uncertainty, flexibility of provincial funding is also key. As new information is integrated into plans for school re-openings, the province must be committed to providing the necessary resources, and respond quickly to funding needs in the education system as this situation unfolds.

3. Work with local school boards and public health officials to provide weekly updates to the public on the school re-opening planning/implementation process.

“Bonnie Henry believes that if you tell people what you are doing and why – if you provide transparent decision-making with real reasons behind it – people will follow. Of course, you have to make the right decisions, too.” (https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2020/06/05/i-felt-the-weight-of-the-world-says-bc-health-officer-bonnie-henry-but-she-got-everything-right.html)

Effective, timely communication is paramount. Transparent and regular communication to the public about plans and possible models for publicly funded education and schools in September must start as soon as possible, and ought to be weekly at a set time and day. This approach will convey that publicly funded education and schools are, in fact, the priority that they must be in order for our economy to re-open.

4.Develop a commonly understood definition of “safe, effective return to school”.

School boards, public health officials, parents, students, teachers, principals, and education workers are all key stakeholders in the re-opening of schools. These key stakeholders must engage in regular dialogue to develop a common, shared understanding of what constitutes a “safe, effective return to school”. This common understanding will help build public confidence in school safety.

Thanks for the opportunity to provide input to such a critical step in moving forward in Ontario.

The Role of School Public Health Nurses

June 10, 2020

When I was in elementary school, I remember the Public Health Nurse (PHN) bandaging my scraped knee. At the time, I had no idea what role the nurse played in my little Toronto school. As early as the ‘40’s, Public Health Nursing was established within the Provincial Board of Health, making these nurses responsible for all public health in Ontario. As a result, elementary school nurses have been key to supporting the health of students, and by extension their families and communities for most of the 20th century. 

Children lined up to receive their needles at an immunization clinic in the District of Algoma, 1932

Public Health nurses have made essential contributions to schools by preventing illnesses, monitoring and treating student health, reducing costs to our health care system, and improving community health:

Prevention of Illnesses: Bullying, Self Harm, Obesity; Ensuring equitable access to health and social services; Collecting Statistics of Health-Related Issues (eg. outbreaks of illness)

Monitoring & Referrals: Dental Health; Vision Tests; Learning Disabilities

Treatments: Vaccinations; Asthma, Severe Allergies, Smoking Cessation; Control of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (eg. Lice); Monitoring Acute Health Concerns or Illness (Flu, Measles, COVID-19); Monitoring Chronic and Complex Health Problems

Having a PHN in my school meant that not only could I have my knee bandaged, but a child with diabetes could receive support dealing with this difficult condition, leveling the playing field for them in their academic day. Children falling behind in school could be immediately evaluated for vision or hearing issues. A child going into anaphylaxis after eating an allergen could be treated professionally while waiting for an ambulance, improving their outcome. A child showing symptoms of a contagious disease could be diagnosed & isolated, preventing outbreaks.

By 1999, the number of PHNs in schools was reduced greatly, so nurses became responsible for many schools at once. Ontario lost these knowledge experts, who intimately knew the communities where they worked. Some neighbourhoods lost their high school health nurse visits completely. 

In Ontario today, a PHN may be responsible for anywhere from 1-35 schools (approximately 400-14,000 students), depending on the health unit. There are so few PHNs in schools in Ontario now that few people still understand their role. Today, that child with diabetes risks losing school time because they do not have the same experienced support to help them manage their disease or the same opportunities as others. The chance of an acute illness spreading through the community undetected is higher without trained personnel on the ground who is focused on this aspect of the school. Fix Our Schools has often noted how Principals, over the years, have become responsible for too much – including being resident boiler experts! As Ontario determines how students will return to school, we cannot expect Principals to fill the critical role of a PHN.

 

In a time when public health needs to be closely scrutinized, perhaps we need to examine the barriers that are preventing PHN’s from fulfilling their essential role in Ontario schools.

Fix Our Schools Calls Upon Province to Expedite Framework and Commit Funding

June 1, 2020

On Monday, June 1, Fix Our Schools issued the following media release on June 1, 2020:

Province must expedite framework and commit adequate funding for school re-opening in September

Today, Fix Our Schools is asking the province to expedite delivery of the framework for re-opening Ontario’s schools, and commit to adequate funding, so that school boards can properly plan for students to safely, effectively return to schools in September.

Local school boards, with guidance from local public health officials, will ultimately be charged with re-opening Ontario’s schools for September. They need to start planning as soon as possible, and they need the certainty of adequate provincial funding – something that has been lacking for decades. However, the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that, with political will, previously unimaginable public resources can be found and allocated.

Fix Our Schools is specifically calling on the Province to:

  • Move the deadline to deliver the framework for re-opening schools from the end of June to June 12.
  • Commit to providing the necessary funding for school boards to be able to reasonably plan and implement a safe, effective re-opening of schools in September.
  • Work with local school boards and public health officials to provide weekly updates to the public on the school re-opening planning/implementation process.

Now is the time for political will to be applied to our publicly funded schools and education system. Ontario’s 2-million students need to know that the adults in charge are committed to their education, their mental health, and their development. Our economy also demands a prioritization of public education and schools. The accountability and transparency of a designated weekly progress communication on the safe re-opening of schools in September would demonstrate this commitment – and help students, families, and our economy.

“Parents with students in Ontario’s public education system have come to realize and value all that school provides for our children – not only learning but also childcare, routine, social interaction, a sense of community and purpose, opportunities for growth, maturity and development. For parents and students, a plan to safely return to school in September is of paramount importance and must be a priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that with political will – almost anything is possible. We want to see the political will exerted to make a safe return to school possible for Ontario’s students this coming September.

– Krista Wylie, Fix Our Schools Co-founder

The fact is that we have been living with a chronically underfunded public education system. Some schools do without a full-time custodian, and our system’s capital repair backlog – from leaky roofs to no hot water or soap in bathrooms to lead pipes – has ballooned to $16.3-billion over the past two decades. Will the provincial government provide school boards with the resources to meet the challenges created by this pandemic? Frankly, failing to come through with the funding to make this all happen would be to compound the impact COVID-19’s shutdown has had on children throughout this province.

– Marit Stiles, NDP Education Critic

“We applaud the province on having met with many smaller working tables that are looking at individual issues. But coherence is key here. Ontario’s students and educators need to know that there is an overall, comprehensive plan, based on evidence, expertise and experience. One-off meetings and small working tables will not accomplish that.” 

– Annie Kidder, People for Education’s Executive Director.

“Our schools are a learning environment for 2-million students, and a workplace for almost 200,000 teachers and education workers. The re-opening of schools in a safe and effective way is essential for the development and mental health of our children, our economy, and our well-being as a province”

– Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education

Caretakers and Maintenance Staff During Ontario School Closures

May 27, 2020

On May 9, 2020, the provincial government approved an emergency order that allowed available school board employees to be voluntarily redeployed to congregate care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, including hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and women’s shelters. Many of these congregate care settings are in need of staff such as custodial and maintenance workers.

“CUPE education workers have a strong sense of community and they know there’s a critical need for staffing in health, long-term care, and social services. Many of us have been looking for ways to lend our support and so we’re pleased to endorse this voluntary plan,” said Laura Walton, President of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU).

Many education workers – including custodians, early childhood educators, and education assistants – are still on the job during Ontario’s school closures, working to maintain schools and support students who are learning at home:

However, some custodians, youth workers, psychologists, maintenance staff, education assistants, social workers, paraprofessionals, special-needs teachers, and food service workers are coming forward for secondment to other sectors. A huge and heartfelt thank you to all education workers, whether you are continuing to work in schools or helping out in congregate care settings. Your work is incredibly valuable and, indeed, essential!

 

Caretakers More Important Than Ever to Public Education

May 20, 2020

Students and families in Ontario now know that our publicly funded schools will remain closed until at least September. We can appreciate where there are many details to consider before any return to classrooms can be done safely. One detail that we can all agree upon is that health and safety, cleanliness, and hand-washing standards must be developed in any return to school plans. In former Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Opinion piece in the May 10, 2020 Toronto Star entitled, “We need a back-so-school plan“, she proposes any prudent plan would include increased cleaning regimes in schools, which would require increased custodial staff and may require training on deep cleaning techniques.

With this in mind, Fix Our Schools sees caretakers as more important than ever before in our publicly funded school system. We also see the implementation of cleaning, health, and safety standards in our schools as being more important than ever before. We must come together to determine the new standards and protocols that will enable a safe return to school for both students and adults alike. And we must also ensure that we fund an adequate number of fully-trained caretakers to be able to reasonably uphold these standards and conduct these new protocols. For instance, our campaign has frequently heard from parents with concerns over lack of hand soap and paper towels in school washrooms because their local school’s caretaking staff was stretched too thin.

The Fix Our Schools campaign has always appreciated the education workers who often go unrecognized in delivering quality education to our children such as caretakers, office staff, education assistants, and lunchroom supervisors. In fact, we’ve often scratched our heads as our provincial government consistently seemed to undermine their efforts to keep our children’s school safe and clean, as they cut provincial funding. We trust this time has passed and that our provincial government will move forward in a manner that acknowledges and respects the many ways education workers ensure our children’s schools safe, healthy, and well-maintained.

School Infrastructure Projects Are A Priority

May 13, 2020

Back in mid-April 2020 in an article entitled, “Ottawa seeks ‘shovel-ready’ projects for post shutdown stimulus plan”, the Globe and Mail reported that federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna was already seeking “shovel ready” infrastructure projects that might be included in a stimulus plan for the Canadian economy as pandemic restrictions are loosened. The term “shovel ready” refers to infrastructure projects that can be approved quickly and create immediate jobs. McKenna said she was focused on expediting the spending of more than $180-billion in infrastructure spending that has been approved through to 2028 and on getting money out the door this construction season.

As always, Fix Our Schools would like to see federal infrastructure money allocated to school infrastructure projects, even though we know provincial governments are responsible for education funding. We believe the bricks and mortar of school buildings are easily delineated from education itself and, as such, should benefit from federal funding. Federal funding of school projects may be particularly important going forward, as many economists speculate that provincial and municipal governments will be cash-strapped from navigating the COVID pandemic.

Fix Our Schools would also like to ensure that school infrastructure projects are prioritized and that school construction projects get started as soon as possible to leverage this coming construction season.

Alberta’s Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda seemed to agree based on his mid-April remarks noted in a CBC Report entitled, “Timelines accelerated for five new school construction projects”. Panda said that the provincial government would borrow money rather than continue to pursue public-private partnerships in order to get construction moving more quickly on five schools throughout Alberta, creating around 560 construction jobs. Panda was quoted as saying, “To the extent possible, even under the COVID situation, I am trying not to miss this construction season. That’s the whole purpose.”

Saskatchewan also seems to agree that school construction projects are an important part of the economic plan going forward. In a May 6, 2020 article entitled, “Major infrastructure stimulus plan announced by Saskatchewan government”, $130.4 million in education capital funding is included in the overall capital plan, allowing for seven new school projects and three major renovation projects.

In Ontario, we have not heard any news of accelerating school repair and building projects. Fix Our Schools is wondering when Ontario’s Ministry of Education and/or Ministry of Infrastructure might begin to discuss timelines for school repair and building projects in this province. Construction season is imminent and, given the $16.3-billion of disrepair in Ontario’s publicly funded schools, there is no time like the present to start repairing, renewing, and rebuilding our children’s schools.

While it is clearly a challenging time in our education system, as students and teachers alike grapple with at-home learning, there would be a benefit to conducting construction projects in schools at this time. In recent years, the volume of reactive repairs needed at schools has necessitated that construction projects, such as roofing, often get done while students are trying to learn in these buildings. So a “silver lining” of this current pandemic situation, when children are absent from schools, is that many construction projects could get completed while these buildings are virtually empty.

 

How the Covid-19 Pandemic May Inform Architecture – Including Schools

May 6, 2020

In a Globe & Mail article from May 1, 2020 by Dave Leblanc entitled, “What MIght be the Hallmarks of Post-COVID Architecture?“, many questions are raised about how this global pandemic may inform future building design. The article starts by considering how tuberculosis impacted school design back in the early 1900’s, when people believed that sunlight and fresh air, even in winter, would combat the illness. In some instances such as at the Orde Street School in Toronto, an “Open Air School” was created on the top floor, and pupils learned in classrooms with open windows, often bundled in blankets. While this type of change was not permanent, the transition from lead piping to copper piping – which held far fewer germs – was precipitated by health concerns and has been a permanent shift in how buildings are designed and constructed.

Several architects were interviewed for this article and the following ideas were presented:

  • Courtyards for people to gather outdoors
  • Glassed in corridors with good  ventilation
  • Buildings that are airtight with managed ventilation

 

At Fix Our Schools, we wonder how existing schools will operate post-COVID. It seems as though school buildings themselves will be an important element of how easily any new health and safety protocols can be integrated. In school buildings with narrower hallways, or in schools that are overcapacity, it will clearly be quite difficult for students to maintain distance between one another. Will handwashing sinks and soap become mandatory in every classroom to accommodate regular handwashing or will hand sanitizer become the norm in every classroom?

Fix Our Schools also wonders how the post-COVID reality will inform the design and funding of new school buildings. Sufficient outdoor greenspace, common spaces such as gymnasiums and cafeterias, and multi-purpose rooms give a school inherently more flexibility to cope with any number of challenges. Good ventilation systems and airtight buildings also seem to be important aspects to consider. So, while these features are more expensive to include in new schools, perhaps certain design aspects of schools will be considered a necessity instead of a luxury going forward.

Dare to Dream: Envisioning How Nature-based Playgrounds Might Look

April 29, 2020

Last week, we took time to pause and reflect on how vital playgrounds and green spaces are to our lives, and how much we miss them as they continue to be closed during this pandemic.
While we are home-bound, we can think about the future of school playgrounds and how we can make them greener. This week, we look at how the elements of the natural playground can be used in both large and small scale projects.

Large-Scale Municipal Example: Marge and Charles Schott Natural Playscape, Cincinnati
In Cincinnati, a converted public park demonstrates how green playgrounds work. In lieu of a static, plastic playground, the city installed a nature playground, with a variety of materials: rock, wood, water, trees & underplantings. Parents noticed that this playground facilitated creative play, habitat education, and respectful behaviour while offering a variety of forest and field habitats to explore.


To maintain this nature-based playground, a full-time gardener and maintenance staff were required. As well, families must take on more personal responsibility for assessing risk with this type of nature-based playground.

Large-Scale School Example: Brent Elementary School, Washington, D.C.

This asphalt yard was transformed into an outdoor education space, and more than tripled in size. The new nature yard is improving student health with more physical activity, clean air, and shade. Typical summer air temperatures have decreased by 5°C by removal of the asphalt!1 The school has seen an improvement in parental engagement, as well as student attendance and reading scores.22 

By replacing asphalt with small plantings & permeable surfaces, the school ground now has improved stormwater management, important in any city with flooding and sewer issues. The new rain garden can hold huge amounts of stormwater, and the new surfaces don’t need mowing, reducing carbon emissions.

Nature gardens also allow for educational opportunities. At Brent PS, there are green roofs unlike any other. Typically, children don’t have access to roofs and do not see planted rooftops. Brent School pioneered the use of child-scale green roofs, built on small structures accessible to children, who can learn about the process of greening our urban world.

This large-scale nature-based playground also included interpretive rain gardens and interactive butterfly gardens. Staff training in environmental education was required to ensure maximum benefits were derived from this playground, as was signage to guide students and visitors. As well, staff was required to maintain the grounds. 

Features of these nature-based playgrounds above can be applied to local, small-scale community examples, such as public parks, childcare centres, and health centres as well. This is also a possible model for aging infrastructures (such as Ontario’s schools) that are already candidates for renovation. 

Nature playgrounds are also solutions for city parks that have only trees & close-cropped lawns, with no other groundcover or understory plantings. Toronto’s High Park has installed a nature playground called Our Space that features education, loose pieces, and opportunities for creative play while featuring native plantings that recreate the original ecosystem. 

Installing nature gardens in floodplain areas, or grounds with poor drainage makes sense as impervious surfaces are replaced with permeable ones that absorb stormwater. And areas with high traffic, such as school drop-off zones, are the perfect location to educate the public about water issues in their community!

During this time when we are missing our parks, consider asking your children for their opinions on what would make an ideal outdoor play space at their school. While we can’t go to the park at the moment, we might as well take the opportunity to imagine and dream! 

 

 

Is it Time to Green Our Playgrounds?

April 22, 2020

We all have different ways of interacting with the great outdoors. Some of us hike in forests, others jog in urban playgrounds, and still others enjoy leisurely walks. Self-distancing & isolating have sadly restricted trips outside. A few weeks in, and we no longer take for granted access to fresh air, green spaces and playgrounds. 

While we take this difficult break from our public green spaces, Fix Our Schools has been thinking about the importance of school playgrounds and how they impact the health of our communities. This is a great time for communities to discuss what we want our future playgrounds to look like and how we can make a better future for our children.

The research below is from Rethinking Playgrounds: A Design Investigation of Playscape Theory1 by Jonathan Gemmell, who is a landscape architect in Maryland, USA.

Difference between Nature-Based Playgrounds and Traditional (Structure-Based) Playgrounds:

In the early 2000’s, playgrounds that integrate natural elements into the design became more widespread in Europe and North America. Inspired by the “Forest Schools” in Denmark & Sweden, Canadian educators have supported outdoor educational curriculum development, and, in conjunction with the broader school community, have worked to integrate it into the yards surrounding the schools. Natural playgrounds tend to be greener, offer more loose parts for play, may provide specific educational opportunities about nature, provide more shade, and often help with stormwater runoff.

Jonathan Gemmell suggests that Nature-Based Playgrounds harness the malleability of the natural landscape and provide clear developmental advantages that surpass traditional structure-based playground design. It makes sense that Nature-Based Playgrounds also provide opportunities for building environmental literacy, such as knowledge of water systems or invasive species. 

On the other hand, according to Gemmell, Traditional Playgrounds have many shortcomings, which impact child development. Paved sports areas have the highest percentage of sedentary activity on a playground, therefore traditional playgrounds can limit active play.2 Traditional playgrounds also tend to have less green space and therefore, less of the benefits that green space provides such as an increased ability to concentrate on tasks after spending time in nature3, and an alleviation of stress and the symptoms of ADHD4.

 

Goals of Nature-Based Playgrounds

When designing with a natural plan in mind, it is fascinating to see how the goals of the project change. Instead of planning for asphalt painting, prescribed activities or chain link fencing, Natural Landscaping goals include:

  1. Spaces that foster a full range of physical activities, allowing children to explore & expand their territorial range as they age. 
  2. Opportunities for development through changeable environments, encouraging creative expression, and group play. 
  3. Educational components that promote Environmental Literacy.
  4. Integration with stormwater management retrofits. (Stormwater control integrated into the playground itself or yard planned adjacent to a constructed wetland.) 
  5. Imaginative or artistic components that create a sense of place and nurture community pride. 

Role of the Community in Greening our Playgrounds

Toronto District School Board is one of the school boards that has worked to incorporate more nature-based elements into new or renovated playgrounds. At one of our local schools, Fix Our Schools has seen first-hand both the nature-based design benefits to students and also the open-eyed interest from other countries. In fact, educators from all over the world visit our TDSB Nature-Based model to consider the educational benefits and implementation challenges and opportunities. 

Nature-Based Yards are different from what we expect from Traditional Yards. They do provide many opportunities for students. These yards could also reduce flooding and improve the greening of our cities, something we’ve all been thinking about as pollution levels are at an unprecedented low right now. Because of the need for maintenance and the role of education in the Nature-Based yards, they need planning and support from us all. It is important that the wider community stakeholders support the features and benefits of greening our playgrounds. Let’s have a conversation!

1.file:///Users/Armstrong/Downloads/Gemmell_umd_0117N_16253.pdf+

2 (Dyment, Bell, and Lucas’ 2009)

3 (Kaplan, 1989)

4 (van den Berg, 2011)