New Nature-Based Early Childhood Education Program at Alverno is First of its Kind

Milwaukee, (July 23, 2020) – In partnership with Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center, Alverno College is launching the Early Childhood Outdoor Preschool Environmental Education Program (ECOPEEP) this fall, the first nature-based early childhood education program for urban settings in the United States.

Designed for teachers, teacher candidates, licensed daycare professionals and others who want to lead children in exploring nature, the fully online program comprises three courses (11 credits), can be completed in two semesters and results in a professional certificate.

“Nature-based preschools and daycare programs have grown in popularity across the country, but there are no existing standards for what these programs should offer,” said Thor Stolen, Ph.D., assistant professor of Education at Alverno and co-developer of the program. “In most cases, they simply indicate that they will take children outside. We are aiming to build on the best practices developed at the Urban Ecology Center.”

“Nature-based early childhood education provides exciting ways for children to connect to nature in their community, giving them an emotional investment in its future,” said Matt Flower, environmental education and early childhood specialist at the Urban Ecology Center and co-developer of the program. “It’s a foundational approach to early childhood, rooted in the cycles and seasons of life — cultivating the scientific thinking, empathy, artistic expression and the socioemotional essentials that make urban communities vibrant.”

The number of early childhood programs rooted in outdoor experiences has grown nationally in four years from 25 schools to more than 250. Though the majority of these programs have waiting lists, fewer than 10 percent of students who attend them are children of color. Alverno, which in 2017 was named Wisconsin's first Hispanic-Serving Institution, has long been lauded as one of the state's most diverse colleges. In the fall 2019 semester, students of color made up almost half of its student population. As part of its strategic plan, Alverno redesigned its undergraduate education curriculum to place greater emphasis on multicultural classrooms and meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Stolen said: “We embrace this opportunity to introduce more children to nature at a young age, right here in our own city.”

For more information, call the Alverno Admissions office at 414-382-6100.