No Child Left Inside

by David Safier

Type the phrase, “No Child Left Inside” in Google, and you’ll find what appears to be a national movement to get our children in touch with the natural world.

• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has a No Child Left Inside site devoted to EE (Environmental Education). The Arizona Association for Environmental Education and Arizona Parks & Recreation Association are coalition members.
• Congress is considering (or has considered and passed over) a national No Child Left Inside Act –H.R. 3036 (sponsor: John Sarbanes, D-MD) and S.1981 (sponsor: John Reed, D-RI) — amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to include more emphasis on Environmental Ed.
• The North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) is pushing both the bill and the EE agenda.
• Connecticut’s Governor M. Jodi Rell created a special No Child Left Inside initiative “to encourage Connecticut families and visitors alike to enjoy all the recreational resources and outdoor activities available in Connecticut’s state parks, forests and waterways.”
• At amazon.com, the term brings up a list of 23 books on linking children with nature.

We’re encircled by open spaces and natural wonders here in Tucson. “No Child Left Inside” is a fine slogan for the worthy idea of promoting more feet-on-the-dirt Environmental Education and Recreation in our area and around the country.