An End of Year Message from our CEO
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Dear friends,
At Green Schoolyards America, we talk to schools, districts, community members, and state agencies every day who are committed to bringing shade and nature to the spaces children already visit on a daily basis. They are looking for solutions and need assistance bringing green schoolyards and schoolyard forests to their communities in ways that are effective and sustainable — and we are here to help!
In the past year, we have:
Identified barriers and opportunities for bringing schoolyard forests to scale in California and beyond
Hosted an online Community of Practice attended by over 450 individuals to share best practices and examples of schoolyard forests - and launched a new series focused on design!
Created 50+ free online resources to help help school leaders, designers, educators, and partners create, implement, and use schoolyard forests, including a climate-adapted, school-friendly tree list for California
Expanded our advocacy work, lending our expertise to numerous pieces of legislation and helping to lead a coalition of over 180 organizations working to pass the federal Living Schoolyards Act
Grew our email and social media audiences by nearly 100%, helping us to reach more people and bring them into this important work!
Met with countless partners across the country to build demand and support for creating and sustaining living schoolyards and schoolyard forests at scale!
Your support makes a big difference to our ability to do this work! If you can, please consider a tax-deductible donation to Green Schoolyards America this holiday season and help us shift the paradigm for schoolyard design, use, and management so every child has access to nature-filled climate oases at school and its many benefits.
In gratitude,
Sharon Danks
Founder & CEO
Green Schoolyards America