4949 Tealtown Road,
Milford, OH 45150
2020-2021 School Program
Central to its mission to provide a connection to nature for people of all ages and abilities is the Cincinnati Nature Center’s School Program, which annually serves over 6,500 kindergarten through sixth grade students and teachers through a variety of programs designed to spark a passion for nature and the environment. Students, teachers, and caregivers from throughout the 15-county Cincinnati region visit the Nature Center and participate in field trips, schoolyard programs, and attend training activities. In 2020-2021, due to COVID-19, the Center made plans to introduce virtual nature programming that asan alternative to onsite visits.
Due to COVID and the subsequent school closures/shutdowns, all Nature Center school programs both on and offsite at schoolyards were canceled from March 2020 to April of 2021, in essence, for the entire funding period. From that point, the Center was able to move some curriculum online, but found that student learning was not as effective through a virtual platform. Alternatively, staff was able to hold virtual and some in-person teacher trainings (with social distancing protocols). Staff was able to provide teachers with the skills needed to continue nature programming in their own schoolyards. That said, the Center able to reach just shy of 1,100 students through a virtual platform during the 2020-2021 school year. 70 homeschool students participated. Additionally, the education team created and implemented new programming that would serve students after-school. These programs and day camps were intended to get children outside and provide them a fun, safe way to interact with others. We offered nature clubs, art programs, fitness hikes, and others.