Investing in Green Schoolyards

There is a growing movement to transform asphalt-covered school grounds into park-like green spaces that improve children’s well-being, learning, and play while contributing to their communities' ecological health and climate resilience. The State of California, for example, recently announced that it will make available $150 million over the next two years so that school districts, nonprofits and local government agencies can apply for funding to plant trees, create gardens and other green spaces, or build shade structures on school campuses. Projects may also include planting native or drought-tolerant vegetation.

Funding from the State will enable schools to accelerate efforts to reduce the heat island effect caused by too many buildings or roads in developed areas. A key supporter of such efforts is Green Schoolyards America, which works with a variety of partners in California and across the United States to support schoolyard greening investments, policies, and programs that advance equity, climate resilience, and environmental literacy.  

Green Schoolyards America also recently launched the California Schoolyard Forest System℠, a statewide initiative in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the California Department of Education. The initiative will increase tree canopy on public school grounds across California to shade and protect PreK-12 students from extreme heat and rising temperatures due to climate change.