Case study reveals opportunities and barriers to the implementation of outdoor play programs in Scotland
Concerns about childhood obesity and the educational attainment gap between children from disadvantaged and advantaged backgrounds led the Scottish national government in 2016 to enact a policy that would provide more opportunities for young children to play and learn outdoors. The plan was to greatly expand the number of outdoor play programs (OPPs) in Scotland. Two questions framed a related case study: (1) How and why did outdoor play in the form of Outdoor Nurseries become a focus of Scottish policy for Early Learning and Care programs?