FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2026
CONTACT: Ginny Roscamp, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org
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Outdoors Alliance for Kids Celebrates Introduction of Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Outdoors Alliance for Kids coalition members applaud Sen. Martin Heinrich from New Mexico for introducing legislation that would improve youth connections to nature at schools across the country.
The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act aims to provide funding and support for the creation of green and living schoolyards. The bill would strengthen local ecological systems, provide a range of hands-on learning resources, and foster nature play and social opportunities while enhancing the health and well-being of children and adults.
Improvements to schoolyards would come through the creation of a Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards grant program. Funds would be awarded to create park-like outdoor environments at elementary and secondary schools by planting trees and plants, cultivating gardens, and building outdoor meeting and gathering spaces.
In response, coalition members of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids released the following statements:
“Spending time in nature is one of the greatest tools we have for improving the health and happiness of our children,” said Julia Hurwit, Campaign Manager for the Outdoors Alliance for Kids. “Schools can be gateways to nature for millions of young people, but right now, too many schoolyards are more parking lot than park. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act will help transform these places, emphasizing natural green spaces over asphalt, and boosting childhood development while making communities more resilient to a changing climate.”
“The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a monumental step towards realizing vital outdoor environments that enhance children’s health, well-being, and academic success. We’ve seen firsthand how green schoolyards transform asphalt into vibrant learning ecosystems, fostering hands-on discovery, social connection, and joy. We particularly applaud the bill’s prioritization of funding for communities most in need, ensuring this investment builds more resilient and equitable futures for all,” said Sarah Milligan-Toffler, President & CEO for the Children & Nature Network.
“The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act reflects what environmental educators have long known: schoolyards are powerful spaces for high-impact learning. When students can observe seasonal changes in a school garden, conduct scientific investigations in a schoolyard habitat, or simply play among trees and native plants, they develop deeper connections to the natural world and stronger academic skills across all subjects. NAAEE applauds Senator Heinrich’s and Representative Lee’s leadership on this legislation. Green schoolyards can provide readily accessible living classrooms for outdoor learning where students engage in real-world and hands-on experiences that are essential to their well-being and success,” said Sarah Bodor, Director of Policy for the North American Association for Environmental Education.
“The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a powerful step toward building a more equitable and inclusive outdoor future. By transforming schoolyards into vibrant, nature-rich spaces designed with and for the community, this legislation advances access to the outdoors, supports the well-being of youth, and honors the leadership of those most impacted by environmental injustice,” said Rena Payan, Executive Director of Justice Outside. “Justice Outside proudly supports this effort to ensure every child—regardless of zip code—can learn, play, and thrive in healthy outdoor environments.”
“Senator Heinrich’s Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a bold investment in the future of our children and communities. Across the country, millions of students attend school in outdoor environments that are dominated by asphalt and connections to nature, shade, and plants are too often missing. This legislation will help transform those underutilized spaces into vibrant, green, educational environments; designed with nature-based solutions that support student health, hands-on learning, and climate resilience. ASLA strongly supports this effort and stands ready to help ensure every child has access to a living schoolyard to inspire, engage, and empower,” said Torey Carter-Conneen, CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
“I applaud Sen. Heinrich’s extraordinary leadership on the issue of revitalizing schoolyards to support the educational, recreational, and public health goals our kids need to meet to develop into happy and healthy adults. For thirty years, KABOOM! has been working with school districts to transform their schoolyard playgrounds. This legislation will allow us to expand our work to build innovative playspaces that meet children’s many needs, as we have successfully done in places like Oakland, CA, through the creation of engaging schoolyards that connect kids to nature and become central to their daily lives,” said Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!
“Science has shown that kids are happier and healthier when they spend time in nature, whether it’s a national park or a schoolyard. Those benefits are blunted, however, when those schoolyards are blacktop patches instead of green fields. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act will help ensure kids have a direct connection to trees and green spaces at their school and strengthen ties between our youth and the ecosystems that surround them,” said Robert Scott, Deputy Director of Federal Policy for the Sierra Club.
“So much of our learning takes place outside the classroom as well as within it. For students, access to outdoor spaces that are on school grounds, especially those that incorporate nature and hands-on learning, is essential to their mental and physical well-being. That’s why we’re proud to support the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act and applaud Senator Heinrich and Representative Lee for introducing this important legislation, which promises to have positive impacts that extend far beyond the playground,” said Paul Sanford, Director for Equitable Access Policy Advocacy for the Wilderness Society.
“Today, 1 in 3 Americans, including 28 million children, lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk from home. For many kids, the closest outdoor space is the schoolyard just outside their classroom window. Trust for Public Land has transformed nearly 350 desolate school lots into Community Schoolyards—vibrant green areas that benefit students, families, and entire communities,” said Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, President and CEO for the Trust for Public Land. “We applaud Senator Heinrich’s leadership in introducing the Revitalizing Schoolyards Act, which will bridge the park equity gap across the country. For decades, TPL has utilized this model to partner with students, parents, school districts, mayors, city councils, and Tribes to revitalize Community Schoolyards—enhancing educational outcomes, improving health, and building climate resilience. That’s why we proudly support this bold, visionary step to turn asphalt wastelands into shady, cooler learning spaces that foster play, movement, and social cohesion.”
“We are failing our children’s education needs. Creating meaningful, experiential learning opportunities for every child is more important than ever. These experiences provide vital opportunities for our children to connect what they are reading and hearing in the classroom to the world around them, allowing for critical learning,” said Megan Karch of Islandwood.
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This bill is supported by the following organizations:
| Acorn Naturalists | Grow Garden Grow | Out Teach |
| Active San Gabriel Valley | Grow It Green Morristown | Outdoor Outreach |
| AFT | Healthy Schools Campaign | Outdoors Alliance for Kids |
| American Forests | Helical Healing Habitat | PA Unplugged |
| American Heart Association | Ijams Nature Center Early Learning | Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Haines, Alaska |
| American Society of Landscape Architects | InLiveForm | Parks Now |
| American Society of Landscape Architects Prairie Gateway Chapter | Inside-Outside | Paterson Education Fund |
| Amigos de los Rios | Institute for Applied Ecology | PEAS (Partners for Education, Agriculture, and Sustainability) |
| Arkansas Environmental Education Association | Integrity Sustainable Planning and Design | People and Pollinators Action Network |
| Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement | Inverness Associates | Prairie Gateway Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects |
| Asibara Forest | Islandwood | Prairie Winds Nature Farm, Inc. |
| Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (AEOE) | Jacksonville Public Education Fund | Priceless Education |
| Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education | Jefferson Memorial Forest & Natural Areas | Providence Parks Department |
| Atlantic Highlands Shade Tree Commission | Joyful Noise Learning Center | Railyard Park Conservancy |
| BAY TREE DESIGN | Justice Outside | Re:wild Your Campus |
| Bio Studio LLC | Ka Ohana O Na Pua | Reflo |
| Camp Ocean Pines | KABOOM! | Renewing the Countryside |
| Caribbean Regenerative Community Development (CRCD) | Kaniksu Land Trust | Restorative Places |
| Celebrate Planet Earth | Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education | Reusable Reno |
| Center for Ecoliteracy | Kasher Communications | Rhode Island Environmental Education Association |
| Center for Green Schools at USGBC | KidsGardening | Rising Routes Alliance |
| Center for Whole Health Learning in K-12 | Latino Outdoors | River Wranglers |
| Children & Nature Network | Lawton Environmental Study Area | Rooted In Color |
| Children’s Environmental Health Network | Learning by Nature for ME | Roseville Community Preschool |
| City Parks Alliance | LEARNING LANDSCAPE DESIGN LLC | Ross Land Studio |
| Climate Democracy Initiative | LESA (Lawton Environmental Study Area) | Rusty Keeler |
| Clockshop | Life Lab | SALT Landscape Architects |
| Collaborative for Healthy and Inclusive Learning Environments | Los Angeles Beautification Team | Salted Roots |
| Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education | Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative | Samara Early Learning |
| Community Nature Connection | Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust | School Garden Network |
| Concordia Charter School | Louisiana Food Policy Council | Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District |
| Connecticut Outdoor and Environmental Educators Association | Lovettsville Elementary, Loudoun County, VA | Seed St. Louis |
| Cool it Burque | Maine Early Childhood Outdoors | Sierra Club |
| Cottonwood Institute | Many Trees Consulting, LLC | Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden |
| Day One | Mass Audubon | SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab |
| Delaware Association for Environmental Education | Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance | South Carolina Garden-based Learning Network |
| Denver Audubon | Mississippi Museum of Natural Science | Strategic Energy Innovations |
| Denver Urban Gardens | Missouri Environmental Education Association | SubjectToClimate |
| EarlySpace, LLC | Mollen Foundation | Sutro Elementary School PTA |
| Earth Charter Indiana | Mountain Mamas | Ten Strands |
| Ecludious Press LLC | Mountain Song Community School | Tennessee Environmental Council (TEC) |
| Education Market Association | MyPath | Texas Children in Nature Network |
| Emily Morgan Books | National League of Cities | The Bronze Chapter |
| empathy in nature | National Rural Education Association | The Educators’ Lab |
| Environmental Education Association of Indiana | National Wildlife Federation | The Leaders Partner |
| Environmental Education of New Mexico | Nature Detectives | The Wild & Wonderful Schoolyard |
| Explore Ecology | Nature Explore | The Wilderness Society |
| Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area | Nature for All | The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation |
| Families for a Livable Climate | Nature-based Early Childhood Program, Antioch University New England | Thrive Outside |
| Fayette County Public Schools | Nature+Play Designs | Together for Brothers |
| FoCo Trash Mob, a Beyond Plastics Affiliate | Nevada Cancer Coalition | TOTAL NM |
| FoodForAll | Nevada Conservation League | Treekeepers of Washington County – Cool Schools |
| Friends of the Boston Schoolyards | Nevada Outdoor School | TreePeople |
| Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watersehd (FLOW) | New Britain ROOTS, Inc. | Trust for Public Land |
| From the Heart Preschool & Enrichment Center | New Hampshire Environmental Educators | UGR3DAY Underground Railroad Experiences Inc |
| Generation180 | New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects | UndauntedK12 |
| Glendale Environmental Coalition | NEXT.cc STEAM by DESIGN | UrbanPromise Camden |
| Glendale Environmental Coalition | North American Association for Environmental Education | Ventura County Farm to School |
| Go Green Highland Park | North American Climate, Conservation and Environment(NACCE) | Vermont and New Hampshire Energy Education Program |
| Go Green Illinois | Northwest Indiana Food Council | Vermont Education & Environment Network |
| Go Green Illinois Schools | NTx School Garden Network | Wasatch Community Gardens |
| Good Natured Learning | Obra Architects | Wilderness Louisville |
| Gopher Green Team | Odeh Affan Design | Wyoming Alliance for Environmental Education |
| Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative | Oil and Gas Action Network | YES Nature to Neighborhoods |
| Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont | Oklahoma Association for Environmental Education | |
| Green Gardens Education and Designs | Openlands | |
| Greenbank Associates | Oregon Farm to School Network |
The Outdoors Alliance for Kids is a national strategic partnership of more than 100 businesses and nonprofit organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. Learn more at outdoorsallianceforkids.org.
