COVID-19 & Outdoor Classroom Resources

Click here to access California's eeGuidance for Reopening Schools.

Click here to access California's eeGuidance for Creating Outdoor Classrooms. 

Check out these Resources, Tips, and Support, compiled by NAAEE. 

This website offers resources created through the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative. See sections on Outdoor Classroom Infrastructure, Case Studies, Integrating School Programs, and more. 

Safe Return to Play Guide from Playworks offers a number of outdoor games, listed by their relative risk. Risk categories are assigned relative to other ways of participating in that game or activity, based on the public health and scientific understandings of COVID-19 and how it can be transmitted as of July 2020. Activities are segmented into three types of risk posed both to participants and others.

Five Guiding Principles

Center for Green Schools & UndauntedK12 offer resources for how to advocate for the use of federal COVID relief funds to advance healthy and green schools:

• Five Guiding Principles: How Districts Can Use Federal COVID Relief Funding to Advance Healthy, Green Schools is a resource co-released by the Center for Green Schools and UndauntedK12 with research, ideas, and resources to help you advocate to your school district leadership.
• U.S. Department of Education FAQ for COVID relief funding and FAQ for school construction projects
• U.S. Department of Education recently-released IAQ guidance for schools
• U.S. Department of Education ESSER information for non-public schools

eeGuidance for ESSER

The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and state affiliates such as AEOE offer guidance and resources for using federal funds to advance outdoor and environmental learning. 

• California eeGuidance for ESSER Overview
• Thriving Schools: Using Outdoor and Environmental Learning eeGuidance for ESSER

Additional Resources

Build Back Better Recovery Funding