MINNEAPOLIS, MN — October 14, 2021 — A Minneapolis-based nature education program that serves thousands of students nationwide is among six organizations chosen out of 162 applicants to receive a highly competitive national bridge grant from VELA Education Fund. Free Forest School was selected to receive $30,000 to expand its outdoor learning curriculum and guidance to more teachers, administrators, and homeschooling families who want to implement consistent outdoor emergent learning.
Free Forest School has more than 200 local chapters in 49 states, and together they’ve created approximately 100,000 nature education experiences for students. With its VELA funding, the organization plans to expand its membership to at least 50,000 students while piloting solutions to reach families living in lower-income and underserved communities who face the most significant barriers to access.
“Even as nature-based education has grown during the pandemic, most kids still don’t have access,” explained Executive Director Anna Sharratt, who founded Free Forest School in 2015. “Nature-based education programs are still relatively rare and cost-prohibitive for most families. Free Forest School seeks to apply our community-based method of peer support through online communities to expand access to nature-based learning.”
Modeled after the increasingly popular forest school learning style, Free Forest School’s nature-based education program provides traditional and nontraditional educators with training and resources to implement outdoor learning for children up to age 8. Forest schools apply outdoor learning methods in a forest or woodland and are designed to support play, exploration, and risk-taking. Packaged to be shared with schools, educators, and caregivers, Free Forest School’s framework and curriculum focuses on nurturing learner-led exploration and discovery in a range of outdoor settings. Members create recurrent weekly playgroup meetings and form parent-led nature preschool co-ops. The organization has also piloted partnerships with public and private schools.
There are at least 14 forest schools operating in Minnesota, three of which are chapters of Free Forest School. Nationwide, the number of forest kindergartens and outdoor preschools doubled to 585 by late 2020, having gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when many families struggled with remote learning.
VELA Education Fund awards bridge grants to more established organizations seeking to significantly expand their current models. Recipients are innovating outside of the traditional education system to better meet the unique needs of learners.
“VELA Education Fund’s investment in Free Forest School will deepen its offerings and make the model accessible to more families,” said Meredith Olson, President of VELA Education Fund. “Our select bridge grant investments are awarded to organizations that have demonstrated momentum serving students and families. We’re giving them the boost they need to bring their innovative models to even more people around the country.”
Benefits of nature-based education go beyond decreased risk of COVID-19 transmission. Research has found a range of positive impacts to the development of young children who are exposed to frequent, unstructured play in diverse natural settings. Some of these developmental gains include the ability to think critically, problem solve, collaborate, take risks, and build resiliency. Studies have found that children who attend outdoor schools have improved self-confidence, social skills, language development, communication, motivation, and concentration.
Learn more about Free Forest School at freeforestschool.org. If interested in pursuing a story, please contact Lisa Cohen at lisacohencomm@gmail.com.
About VELA Education Fund
VELA Education Fund is a national nonprofit fund that invests in nontraditional education innovations that meet learners’ unique needs. VELA awards microgrants and bridge grants to eligible individuals and organizations that are innovating outside of the traditional education system, to help them put their ideas into practice. Since it launched in fall 2020, VELA has awarded 865 grants totaling $7.35 million and reaching five million learners. VELA connects its grantees to a national network and provides them with a platform to elevate their work and learning.
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