The Living Schoolyard Initiative
We are transforming every schoolyard into a sustainable living schoolyard that will allow all of our children to play and learn in nature every day.
Today’s children rarely have the opportunity to play independently in nature as past generations have. In our community, climate change, urban heat island effect, habitat loss, and protection of our watershed are pressing environmental concerns. The land outside our schools represents significant community green space with a great deal of unrealized potential. This plan will provide equitable access for all children at all schools across the county to the health and learning benefits of green spaces that also mitigate environmental concerns in our increasingly urban community.
Our Goals:
- Make living schoolyards an equitable, collaborative and integrated component of public schools in Northern Virginia.
- Integrate the management of school grounds into overarching goals for the management of stormwater, tree canopy, open space, and natural resource protection.
- Increase the time our children spend learning and exploring the outdoors to improve school performance, mental health, physical health, and student engagement.
Our Task Force:
We are bringing together these leaders:
- Public schools
- Government
- Businesses
- Nonprofits
- Civic organizations
- Community members
- Places of worship
Please Join Us:
We need your support. Join our community, donate and get involved!
Sign on as a supporter here.
Email us at ArlingtonLivingSchoolyards@gmail.com
The Living Schoolyard Community Includes:
