With a majority of children living in urban areas, city policies and programs play a critical role in connecting kids to green spaces and outdoor experiences. We help cities across the U.S. increase equitable access to nature through our Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative, in partnership with the National League of Cities.

Cities in the CCCN network use a variety of strategies, implemented through parks, schools, internship programs, libraries, childcare centers and more, to connect children and families to nature. These strategies address long standing disparities in access to safe, outdoor spaces and experiences— and challenging issues such as rising rates of obesity, mental illness and chronic disease in children, related to the decline of unstructured, active outdoor play and sedentary, indoor lifestyles.

CCCN offers city officials and their partners technical assistance for developing nature connection strategies as an integral part of city planning, programming and policymaking. Mayors and city leaders find that nature connection strategies help advance other priorities, from community health and wellness, to education and job creation, to climate resilience and land use.