Padilla Legislation Advocates Leaving No Child Inside

Amador Ledger Dispatch – March 21, 2007
By Liz MacLeod

Many in the education field believe that outdoor education and recreation opportunities benefit children in a myriad of ways.

A Senate bill introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) on Feb. 8 aims to increase such opportunities for underserved youth across the state.

Senate Bill 207 would create the Outdoor Education and Recreation Program, to be administered by the director of parks and recreation.

The purpose of the bill is to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor activities and educational experiences. Grants would be awarded to both formal school programs and informal public education programs.

According to a Feb. 26 news release, a 2005 study by the California Department of Education found that at-risk children who participated in outdoor education programs raised their science test scores by 27 percent, improved their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, and experienced better self-esteem and motivation to learn.

"This program will not only improve students' academic achievements but it also creates more responsible citizens and stronger communities," Padilla said in the release.

Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Amador County Unified School District, said she hoped the county could tap into some of the funding that would be created by SB 207.

"It'd be wonderful to get a really strong outdoor program in Amador County," she said. "We have such good natural resources."

Chapin-Pinotti listed several benefits of outdoor education. She said the real-life setting helps kids retain information better.

"It provides a practical application of concepts they learn in class and gives them exposure to and understanding of our place in the environment and place in the whole cycle of science and nature," she said. "Hopefully they are also gaining an understanding and awareness of our power to make things better. What better way to teach a child than through hands-on learning that engages them?"

According to Chapin-Pinotti, outdoor education is incorporated into school curriculums almost across the board in ACUSD.

"We do what we can with the schools," she said. "Each school has a pretty good program."

She cited the butterfly garden at Plymouth Elementary School, sixth grade science camp and agricultural programs such as Future Farmers of America as prime examples of outdoor education opportunities in the district.

She said since there is no science camp facility in the county, sixth grade students must travel to other counties in order to participate.

According to Wendy Harrison, California Regional Environmental Education Community coordinator for Amador, Calaveras and San Joaquin counties, there are two residential outdoor education sites in Tuolumne County, but none in Calaveras or Amador.

However, "environmental and outdoor education does happen in Amador County, although there may not be an outdoor education facility in the county," she said. "Individual teachers here do involve their students in environmental education. There are many opportunities in this area to involve environmental education in the classroom/field trip experience such as local caves, Indian Grinding Rock State Park and special projects."

Harrison said CREEC offers workshops, grants and resources to all teachers in the county.

"So, although there is not a dedicated facility for (outdoor education), there are still many opportunities for teachers to access," she said.

Harrison said the benefits of outdoor education are wide-ranging, including documented academic, physical, emotional and spiritual benefits.

"The best book I can recommend on the subject right now is, 'Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder' by Richard Louv," she said. "He provides much documentation of the many benefits of environmental education to children."

However, Chapin-Pinotti pointed out that SB 207 is not a perfect solution to the outdoor education needs in the county.

"It's unfortunate the way it is written, earmarking the majority of funds for lower income communities," she said. "When there are socio-economic constraints on money, we very rarely qualify."

She said Amador County does not have a large population considered to be at risk or underserved.

"We're right down the middle here - and that's a good thing - but a lot of the money goes to other places," Chapin-Pinotti said. "We miss out on a lot of money because we just don't have the demographics. I'm not saying they don't have problems in those communities that do, but don't overlook the need here."

Chapin-Pinotti said ACUSD would work closely with the Amador County Recreation Agency should the senate bill pass and the county receive funding.

"The applications are broad," she said, "kids don't have to learn just about nature." Other areas Chapin-Pinotti listed were healthy lifestyles, community service and service learning, where kids discover how everything they do affects the world around them.

According to Tracey Towner-Yep, director of ACRA, the county doesn't currently have the mechanisms in place to send kids to outdoor education programs.

Another problem has to do with funding. "Outdoor education pays for itself, but not for new facilities," Towner-Yep said. "Once you pay for core staff, operations, food and utilities, the money is gone."

Both the Sierra Club and the American Diabetes Association have sponsored SB 207.

"This program will give countless young people across the state exposure to nature they otherwise wouldn't have," said Amit Rana, youth education representative for the Sierra Club, in the Feb. 26 release. "We have a unique opportunity in California to connect our youth to the outdoors and in turn create the next generation of responsible citizens that appreciate the state's stunning natural environment."

Dr. Francine Kaufman, a spokesperson for ADA, said SB 207 could reduce obesity by promoting physical fitness through outdoor education and recreation.

According to Towner-Yep, kids today have a different play ethic. Play style has become more sedentary, she said, with video games and television filling much of the time kids once spent playing.

"We need to unplug kids from the TV and plug them into true emotion, which is more gratifying," Towner-Yep said.

"I hope the service learning and community outreach programs imbedded into the bill do find their way to all students," Chapin-Pinotti said, "not just those with perceived socio-economic needs."

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