You must enable JavaScript to view this website.

State of the Sector Report

  • All
  • COVID-19
  • Cross-Sectoral Connections
  • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
  • Health, Wellbeing & Development
  • Indigenous Peoples and Place-Based Outdoor Play
  • Outdoor Play Environments
  • Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play
  • Professional Development
  • Research & Data Collection
  • Safety & Outdoor Play

The Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) is thrilled to invite you to a special webinar on the newly launched Outdoor ECE Framework, formally known as, Educators Teaching Educators: Canada’s Outdoor Early Childhood Education Continuous Professional Learning Framework. Developed by the CCOP, this innovative framework was brought to fruition using valuable insights from early learning professionals...

Save the Date! The Breath of Fresh Air Summit 2025 will run from September 25-27, 2025 at the Ottawa Forest and Nature School and Wesley Clover Parks Campground in Ottawa ON! This three-day Outdoor Play Summit will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers from across Canada and internationally to connect and share best outdoor...

September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, an opportunity for the public to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools, the intergenerational harm they caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those affected by this injustice. This federal holiday is an effort on behalf of the Government of Canada...

Thank you to Søren Præstholm, Head of Children & Nature Denmark for providing this post. In recent decades, national surveys in Denmark have identified a substantial decrease in the time spent outside and in nature among children compared with earlier generations – similar to trends in many other countries. However, a new national survey of more...

This article was originally published on the University of Lethbridge website.   Parents today likely won’t be surprised to know their children have far less freedom to travel in their neighbourhoods than they did. But what they might not know is how that could affect their children’s mental health. Dr. Richard Larouche, a Faculty of Health Sciences professor...

Playful Mindset offers programs to children and caregivers (parents) with a fantastic mission to disrupt adverse childhood experiences and support children’s mental health through outdoor play. This Fall they are offering programs in the Ottawa, Ontario region with the hopes to expand in coming years. One program we’re thrilled to hear about is their Outdoor Play...

June 21st is National Indigenous People's Day, a national celebration of the heritage, cultures, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. This day overlaps with the summer solstice, which is a significant day for many Indigenous cultures. It also falls within National Indigenous History Month, which this year will highlight specific aspects of...

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 funding 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...

Thank you to Dr. Ulises Charles Rodriguez, Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary, and Dr. Richard Larouche, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, for providing this post. The last few decades have been marked by increasing global migration, with millions crossing boarders in search of refuge, more opportunities or improved standards...