The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was founded in May of 2020 to support schools and districts around the country in their efforts to reopen safely and equitably during the pandemic using outdoor spaces as strategic, cost-effective solutions to increase capacity and provide access to abundant fresh air.

This chapter begins with the history of the National Initiative and the partners, authors, and experts who came together through this collective impact project to share their knowledge and expertise with the nation. This chapter also explores our outdoor learning rationale and equity framework, and a series of recorded webinars that explain the mission and vision of the Initiative.

The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative and other outdoor learning efforts during the pandemic were covered extensively by the media. Many of those articles and news stories are gathered here.

Partners and Authors

The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was co-founded in May 2020 by Green Schoolyards America, The Lawrence Hall of Science, San Mateo County Office of Education, and Ten Strands. It grew to include more than 20 other partner organizations that collaborated to build a national movement, along with hundreds of participating volunteers, and foundation partners.

Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteers
From June 2020 through June 2021, the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative was able to provide pro bono site planning assistance to schools and districts around the country via our Emergency Schoolyard Design Volunteers program. The Design Volunteer program included several hundred landscape architecture and design professionals, faculty, and students from 38 states, offering their services to educational institutions for free. See their site plans and learn more about the program here.

Vision 2020
We invite you to download this 2-page summary that explains how outdoor spaces can be essential assets for school districts’ COVID-19 response. This document is a good place to start if you are new to this idea, or you are looking for something short to share with a colleague, to begin a conversation on this topic. 

Equity Statement
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities and individuals lived with health and educational inequities stemming from structural racism, disinvestment, historical disenfranchisement, and discrimination. Many of these same communities and individuals have also been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic and by responses to it. The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative seeks to address these issues by centering equity in our work and designing the resources offered in our library to serve the most vulnerable students.

Rationale for Moving Education Outside
There is an urgent need to reimagine PK-12 schools in order to safely reopen—and be able to stay open—during the pandemic. Repurposing outdoor spaces is a cost-effective way to reduce the burden on indoor classrooms while providing fresh air, hands-on learning opportunities, and the health benefits associated with increased access to nature.

Outdoor Spaces as Essential Assets for School Districts’ COVID-19 Response
On June 4, 2020, Green Schoolyards America, The Lawrence Hall of Science, San Mateo County Office of Education, and Ten Strands co-hosted this seminal webinar. We are pleased to share a video of this meeting, the slides used during the session, and a link to the new research report that was discussed during the webinar. Please share this information with your local school districts and other colleagues.

Supporting Student Resilience by Using Outdoor Spaces for Learning and Play
In April 2021, the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative collaborated with the California Department of Education to host a two-part webinar series. Both sessions shared resources and ideas about the benefits of using outdoor spaces to reduce virus transmission and improve students’ health and wellbeing, learning, and play during the pandemic and beyond. Click the titles below to view the recordings:

Part 1 — Using Outdoor Spaces to Improve Students’ Health and Wellbeing
Part 2 — Using Outdoor Spaces for Teaching and Learning

Field Report: A Year of Learning Outside, Bookend Webinar, June 2021
The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative's founding partners hosted a webinar on June 2, 2021 to mark the one year anniversary of the Initiative. During this webinar, the speakers presented the free resources available in the Initiative's National Outdoor Learning Library. The speakers also shared trends and impacts they observed over the course of the year, discussed funding opportunities to expand outdoor learning in the future, and described next steps for the Initiative.