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ECHO aims to improve child health outcomes and connect children to nature by bringing high-quality outdoor play and learning environments to all young children.
While indoor spaces at child care programs are often immaculate and engaging, outdoor spaces are often neglected. Through ECHO training opportunities, we hope to inspire, empower, and connect child care professionals in conversations and hands-on opportunities to learn how to create dynamic, natural, and engaging outdoor spaces.
To learn more, please email echo@nwf.org.
Demonstration Site Trainings
Selected ECHO Demonstration Sites are opening their doors annually to host tours, trainings, events, and opportunities to share about their process and experience. If you are interested in learning firsthand how an ECHO site grows slowly over time to embody best practice in outdoor learning environments, please be sure to attend a training at a Demonstration Site.
Upcoming Trainings:
- My First Garden: Growing Plants with Young Children | Wednesday, June 26, 6-8 p.m | Frisco
- Water, Wind, Weather: Engaging Infants and Toddlers in Outdoor Spaces | Thursday, June 27, 6-8 p.m. | Longmont
- Encouraging Messy Play in the Early Childhood Classroom | Thursday, July 11, 6-8 p.m. | Denver
- Encouraging Messy Play in the Early Childhood Classroom | Wednesday, July 24, 6-8 p.m. | Northglenn
- Affordable Play Settings in Outdoor Learning Environments | Wednesday, August 14, 6-8 p.m. | Cañon City
Additional Trainings
Join ECHO team members and partners to learn best practice in outdoor spaces. While these trainings do not occur at Demonstration Sites, they provide early childhood professionals and designers with content knowledge and practical skills to improve and enhance outdoor spaces at child care facilities.
Upcoming Trainings:
- Nature Play at Home | Thursday, April 18, 7-8:30 p.m. | Aurora
- Creating Dynamic Outdoor Spaces for Young Children: Supporting Implementation | Wednesday, May 22, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Colorado Springs
- Creating Dynamic Outdoor Spaces for Young Children: Supporting Implementation | Saturday, August 10, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Aurora
Request a Training
Are you looking for new ways to enhance or use your outdoor spaces at your child care facility? ECHO offers a variety of training opportunities for early childhood professionals, directors, child care health consultants, and family child care providers. We are able to travel to your community to provide training supports to understand the importance of outdoor spaces, and reimagine traditional playgrounds. Fees may apply.
Annual Summit
Please join us for our Annual Summit as we convene national and international leaders in outdoor play and learning, and engage in breakout sessions to learn “how” to create high quality outdoor spaces. This event is hosted in partnership with Denver Botanic Gardens.
The 2019 Summit is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, at Denver Botanic Gardens. Please check back for registration details in late summer 2019.
About ECHO Trainings
We strive to ensure all trainings provide educators with tools and hands-on ways engage young children in outdoor spaces. Participants will have the opportunity to learn new content, practice new skills, and leave with ideas to implement in the classroom immediately. We regularly seek content knowledge experts, partners, and community supports to ensure our trainings embody best practice and have strong ties to local networks.
