The Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition

JOIN THE WISCONSIN NO CHILD LEFT INSIDE COALITION

The Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition is a statewide coalition of over 100 businesses, health, youth, faith, recreational, environmental, conservation, and educational groups representing over 60,000 people in Wisconsin. Coalition member groups, organizations, and individuals share the belief that all people, in particular young people, need the opportunity to connect with nature in order to learn and grow into healthy, responsible, and engaged community citizens. The entire list of Coalition members is available here. Please join us! You can stay up-to-date on the latest opportunities to get outside by becoming a member of the Coalition and by joining our Facebook page.

No Child Left Inside
The No Child Left Inside (NCLI) movement is a response to a growing convergence of research indicating that all people, in particular young people, need the opportunity to connect with nature in order to learn and grow into healthy, responsible, and engaged community citizens. Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, consolidated research from a variety of disciplines that indicated the existence of what he called, “nature deficit disorder.” Louv’s work has sparked a national movement to holistically address the related issues of time spent in nature, child health and well being, and sustainability.

Children are spending more time indoors ‘plugged in’ to electronic media and less time outdoors than ever before. Studies show that this shift to a more indoor and sedentary lifestyle is having dramatic health effects on the mental and physical well being of young people. Research also indicates that time spent learning and playing outdoors can produce health benefits for children such as reducing incidence of obesity, reducing symptoms of ADHD , and reducing stress in general.

Education for environmental literacy and sustainability provides the opportunity to connect with nature and develop the understandings needed to be healthy adults, active citizens, and environmental stewards. Integration of this education provides a proven way to link outdoor experiences and environmental learning with the standards and benchmarks schools already teach. This approach also adds local relevance to help students connect to the places in which they live and learn.

No Wisconsin Child Left Inside
“Wisconsin’s Plan to Advance Education for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability in PK-12 Schools” (Plan) is currently in the final stages of development. The Coalition developed this Plan to provide a road map for statewide strategic collaboration to ensure all students graduate from high school environmentally literate and ready for college and careers in the 21st century. It outlines a comprehensive strategy to provide teachers and students in Wisconsin with opportunities to connect with nature and advance the health of our youth through strong interdisciplinary curricular connections that focus on education for environmental literacy and sustainability. The Coalition expects to launch the Plan in April 2011 in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, and the Wisconsin Environmental Education Foundation.

Wisconsin’s Plan aligns with the pending national No Child Left Inside Act. Having a Plan in place will position Wisconsin to be eligible to receive $1-2 million in new funding annually to support Plan implementation through this federal initiative.

Plan Connections
The Plan is coordinated with and supported by two additional state-wide efforts:

"Cultivating Education for Sustainability in Wisconsin" builds capacity and support for schools and communities to focus student learning on sustainability. It provides recommendations for resources and services to implement education for sustainability in schools (in development).

"Wisconsin’s GreenPrint for Environmentally Literate and Sustainable Communities" will consider educational needs and responses for the whole community and support sustainable practices at home, at work, at school, and at play.

Contact
For more information about Wisconsin’s No Child Left Inside Coalition, contact Jesse Haney (Jesse.Haney@uwsp.edu).

News and Information

President’s Budget Request Includes Environmental Education - Posted 2/2011. The NCLI Coalition and supporters of environmental education have reason to celebrate. The Obama Administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2012. It once again includes environmental education as a subject eligible for funding within a proposed $246.1M competitive grants program entitled “A Well-Rounded Education”.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Provides Funding for Farm-to-School Programs - Posted 12/2010. This legislation provides $40 million over five years in mandatory funding for farm-to-school programs, ensuring that more children are able to eat local, healthy produce, create school gardens, and use more local foods.

Moving Outdoors in Nature Act - Posted 11/2010. The National Wildlife Federation announced Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced the Moving Outdoors in Nature Act (MONA) in the United States House of Representatives! MONA's focus on health and recreation solutions will be an excellent complement to the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act's systemic approach of getting environmental education back into our nation's schools.

Greening the Department of Education - Posted 9/2010. During the Sustainability Education Summit, September 20-21 in Washington D.C., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education unveiled a new, coordinated effort to include environmental education in public schools.

Let's Move Initiative - Posted 6/2010. First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched her Let's Move Initiative! Research connects the lack of outdoor time to not only increased obesity, but also depression, stress, diabetes, ADD and poor performance in the classroom. National Wildlife Federation invites parents to support the Let’s Move initiative by encouraging their children to spend time outside. Find activities and ideas for outdoor play.

Take Action By MAY 7: Tell the Senate HELP Committee to Include NCLI in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act - Posted 4/2010. The Senate House, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee (HELP) is asking stakeholders to submit comments on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act by May 7, 2010. Please take a few moments today to email the HELP Committee at ESEAcomments@help.senate.gov and let them know that you support the inclusion of the No Child Left Inside Act (S.866) in the reauthorized ESEA.

Community Conversation: Changing need in environmental education - Posted 4/2010. As we confront the challenges of climate change, clean energy and other issues, Sen. Nelson's words from a 1991 speech still ring true: "A well designed environmental education program will produce an informed and committed conservation generation that will provide the critical understanding and support for moving the nation to a sustainable economy." And, as my father often said, "the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around.

NCLI is One of Four "Key Pieces of Legislation" - Posted 3/2010. Word continues to spread through the country...and through Congress. The No Child Left Inside Act is now listed as one of four key pieces of legislation in the reauthorization of ESEA on the Ed & Labor Committee Web Site. Check out the website that they have created just for the NCLI Act.

Push to strengthen environmental education is gaining traction - Posted 3/2010. Across the country, states are busy setting goals for environmental literacy, including here in Wisconsin, where the state’s first Environmental Literacy Plan is being drafted by a new group, the Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition.

Former Secretary of Education Riley Supports National NCLI Act - Posted 3/2010 Former Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley, issued a letter of support for the No Child Left Inside Act. Below is an excerpt from that letter."If we want to have a green-jobs economy, we need to give our young people the skills to get the good-paying jobs that will become more and more available and attractive in the coming decade. Indeed, environmental literacy and education are at the very foundation of a sustainable green-jobs economy. We cannot have one without the other."

NEWS FLASH: Big Win on No Child Left Inside - Posted 2/2010 Together with their legislative sponsors, the national No Child Left Inside Coalition today cheered President Obama's budget as a historic moment, noting that environmental literacy has been included in the U.S. Department of Education budget for the very first time.

Governor Doyle Weighs in to Support Enactment of Federal NCLI Legislation - Posted 12/2009 Thanks the work of NCLI partners, 16 Governors sent a letter to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, urging his consideration of the No Child Left Inside Act as he develops priorities for revamping the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. While Congress has not yet set a timeframe for consideration of the ESEA, discussions are already underway.

State Superintendent Supports Environmental Literacy Plan - Posted 11/2009 State Superintendent Tony Evers stated “The Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition is uniquely qualified to develop an environmental literacy plan that will help our schools provide innovative environmental education programs and help our teachers integrate these concepts into their curriculum” in a press release October 22, 2009. In an effort to ensure that every child graduates with the environmental skills and knowledge needed to build Wisconsin’s economy and a sustainable future, the Coalition will develop the state’s first environmental literacy plan.

State Environmental Literacy Plan Being Created - Posted 10/2009 A Wisconsin No Child Left Inside Coalition is working to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan for Wisconsin that will be compliant with the pending national No Child Left Inside legislation. The No Child Left Inside legislation makes new funding available for the development of rigorous standards, teacher training, and environmental literacy programs.