Hi Rachel! Thanks for reaching out and asking about the work we do in Vermont.
We work with teachers and their students via ECO up to grade 6. We haven't had many requests to go further with this model into secondary ed. Although, being that we are a nature center we are able to work with any teacher who would be interested in bringing their students to the center to participate in any of our citizen science projects. Their is local high school teacher at Northfield High School that runs the STARS program, which is a land based and place based half day program (5 days a week). This is a great model to check out and see how proficiencies are met outdoors during an entire school year.
We didn't have too much push back from school administration in the start up of this program. We created a successful program in one school that was entirely initiated by the teachers themselves and supported by the principal. Once that was seen by other teachers and parents, it quickly spread. We didn't have to advertise or convince schools that this was a powerful medium for learning, the teachers and parents were already making that known through anecdotal stories and evidence of learning back in the classroom. ECO was really created by the teachers and the students experiences in conjunction with the newly adopted NGSS. There are of course always questions and concerns about content and meeting standards. We have units of study and lesson plans for each season that are aligned with NGSS and Common Core and safety protocols for learning outdoors. by being able to provide this, teachers and administrators have less apprehension about time spent outdoors away from classroom time.
We have seen this work spread throughout Vermont and because we offer a summer training teachers are going back to their schools and creating nature immersion experiences for their students that are designed specifically to their school culture and needs. It's been heartening to see this approach to learning grow throughout Vermont and become a part of schools.
I hope that's helpful! Check out our summer course and come visit us in Vermont!

Hi Emilia! Thanks for your questions and I'll do my best to answer them!
We have not experienced any push back in Vermont. The one push back category falls under cost of the program to schools, which we work with in every way possible to make this accessible to schools and teachers who want this for their students. Because we work within the public school system, we are co-teaching outdoors with certified teachers. This makes for a powerful duo with our teaching staff and the classroom teacher. It is truly a collaboration.
From day one we have looked towards the teachers curriculum maps in science, literacy and math in order to inform us on what is applicable in an outdoor setting (which most is with some creative thinking!) We also have created a document that we fill out after each session to show how we have met the Vermont Early Standards (this goes up to grade 3). This shifts the thinking from "this is informal learning" to "this is meeting our performance expectations and can be brought back into the classroom for further exploration".
Our outcomes can be measured by talking to the children, of course! They love their ECO days and parents have shared with us that these can be the favorite day of the school week for students. We know the benefits of time spent outdoors, especially on a regular basis, throughout the year, in a community of others who enjoy it. I like to stress the benefits for the teachers as well. Fresh air and room to observe your students in a different medium is so valuable. And that value can be tracked and expanded upon when it happens every week!
What I see happening here in Vermont and that all children are being served on our ECO days. They are being met where they are at as learners and nature provides a "level playing field". Teachers are being inundated with new initiatives towards learning, especially SEL. Nature does this and more. This is a great time to build "green time" into a school day , we all need it desperately right now and I would encourage teachers to move beyond thinking of it as environmental education, but rather a health and wellness opportunity packed with other opportunities for growth and connection to the places we live in.