Section outline

  • Description
    Research shows what educators, policymakers, and parents have recognized for years: early childhood environmental education can positively impact young children’s development.

    Objectives
    After completing this module, you should be able to:
    • Identify at least three benefits of early childhood environmental education 

    Benchmark Assessment

    Estimated Time for Completion
    1 hour


    Module 1 Tasks:

    • TASK 1: Access the Intro to Developing High Quality Early Childhood EE Programs Course Journal. You will need to either Make a Copy of this file and edit it as your own Google Doc or download it as a Microsoft Word document. Click File, Make a Copy or Download. You will record responses to prompts and complete tasks in your own version of the Course Journal throughout this course. At the end of each module, you will submit your Course Journal with the relevant sections completed.

      TASK 2: In your Course Journal write a brief reflection on the following questions:
      • How are you currently engaged in early childhood environmental education? 
      • How would you describe your current knowledge of early childhood environmental education? 
      • What are 5 questions you would like to explore regarding early childhood environmental learning? 

      TASK 3: Read the “Snapshot of Findings” section from NAAEE’s The Benefits of EE and Nature Connections in Early Childhood research study conducted in collaboration with Stanford. In your Course Journal, record answers to the following questions:
      • Identify three research findings about the benefits of early childhood environmental education that would resonate with your stakeholders (parents, administration, etc.) and why. 
      • How could you communicate or share the benefits of early childhood environmental education with your stakeholders?
    • Submit Module 1 Course Journal Assignment
      Opened: Monday, 22 January 2024, 2:00 AM

      Submit your completed Module 1 Course Journal.

      • View scoring guide>>
      • You may upload a Word document or submit a link to a Google Doc. If you submit a link to a Google Doc, adjust the sharing settings so that it can be viewed by anyone with the link. Click the blue Share button in the top right. A new box will open, under Get Link, select 'Anyone with the link'.