Getting Outside Can Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 Transmission
Are you looking for ways to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19, as well as, improving the health of your children and families? The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) is excited to share the following information and resources to guide child care facilities as they promote outdoor play as a healthy strategy.
The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) at North Carolina State University, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation's Early Childhood Health Outdoors, have developed resources to support child care providers and regulators to promote health and wellness during this challenging time.
Available in English and Spanish, Get Outside! Reduce Risk of Disease and Improve Health During COVID-19 and Beyond is designed to help foster best practices to bolster outdoor spaces as a healthy strategy during the pandemic and beyond. Through low-cost improvements and programming, it offers a variety of suggestions to immediately enhance child care outdoor spaces, by making them healthy, comfortable, and engaging.
Additionally, the NLI provides a collection of resources, including COVID Support We're All In This Together!, professional development, research, evidence-based design assistance, and publications. These resources support families schooling at home, teachers and children in child care facilities, early childhood college educators, and all who influence the development of young children. NLI provides strategies to enhance outdoor experiences and support safe and healthy child care opportunities for children to spend more time outside. After all, outdoors with nature is the healthiest place to be!