Sustainability education at nature-based preschools in the United States is limited

Early childhood environmental education as an area of study first emerged in the United States in the 1990s. The primary focus at that time was fostering an appreciation of and caring for the Earth. Since then, there has been both a growing interest in and reluctance to adding sustainability education to early childhood curricula. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of preschool teachers’ craft knowledge about sustainability education. Craft knowledge, in this context, relates to understandings teachers accumulate while working with children and is reflected in what teachers actually do in their role as educators.

Twenty early childhood educators and two administrators across nine early childhood nature-based education centers in the United States (US) participated in individual or small group semi-structured interviews focusing on sustainability education with young children. While nature-based preschools use nature as a “central organizing concept,” little is known about how they might also promote the goals of sustainability education. Interview questions were designed (1) to gain information about preschool teachers’ craft knowledge of sustainability education and (2) to identify facilitators and barriers to sustainability education at the early childhood level. Interviews – ranging between 45 and 95 minutes in length – were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Classroom observations, document reviews, and participant feedback on data-related codes, categories, and themes were used to authenticate findings and conclusions.

All of the preschool teachers indicated that they wanted to include sustainability education within their practices and felt they did so by focusing on “every-day sustainability practices,” such as recycling and reusing materials. Craft knowledge data relating to sustainability practices were organized around three categories: education in the environment, about the environment, and for the environment. Of these, “in the environment” was the most frequently represented category. The preschool teachers believed that “in-nature” activities would promote the development of caring for and loving nature, and that this would then lead to sustainability practices. The teachers identified two barriers to children spending more time in nature-related activities: the culture of child-rearing in the US and top down fears. Analysis of the data revealed two major themes or practices relating to “about the environment” and “for the environment”: (1) incorporating developmentally appropriate questions about sustainability lessons and (2) focusing on content that reinforced love of the Earth. Barriers to practices relating to “about the environment” include “paucity of curricular time and abundance of content.” Barriers to practices relating to “for the environment” include “inadequate family engagement and economic resources necessary to promote sustainability practice.”

These findings are consistent with other research indicating that sustainability education in preschools in the US is limited. While sustainability may be somewhat integrated into science and other academic areas, certain curricular and parental restrictions – along with the lack of recognition of children’s ability to be agents of change – curtail the full implementation of early childhood education for sustainability in the US.