BREAKING NEWS. Outdoor Play Canada, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, Algonquin College and the Canadian Disability Participation Project have recently been awarded $1.7M for a 4-year project to address challenges in the built and social environment for outdoor play and learning in natural spaces for young children living with disabilities.

This project will build upon our work launching the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP), advance outdoor early childhood education in Canada, and improve quality participation in outdoor play and learning for children with disabilities. Through this project, we aim to ensure that: 1) the built and social environments of Andrew Fleck’s Forest Explorers outdoor-focused early childhood education program (the foundation of the CCOP) is equipped to support children living with disabilities; 2) our CCOP Outdoor Champions program includes (dis)ability-specific training; 3) tools and strategies implemented are evaluated and ongoing gaps and barriers are addressed, thereby ensuring that 4) the CCOP becomes a true demonstration site for outdoor play and learning for all.

What great news in the lead up to the inaugural International Day of Play on June 11!

To learn more about this very exciting project, email us: info@outdoorplaycanada.ca.

To learn more about the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play, click here.

This project has been funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund.