Since 2013, the Lawson Foundation has engaged in a phased Outdoor Play Strategy, building on the scientific evidence that establishes early childhood education (ECE) and outdoor play as critical for healthy child development. This strategy and investment are aligned with the Foundation’s long-standing advocacy for universal, high-quality, publicly funded Early Learning and Child Care and advance our pursuit of equitable access to outdoor play-based early learning for all young children in Canada. Taking a cohort approach, the Lawson Foundation partnered with different organizations, using a multi-sector ecosystem lens to create networks and alliances to foster systems-level thinking about the planning, design, and implementation of research, policy, and practice related to outdoor play. The YMCA of Southwestern Ontario was fortunate enough to be involved in both Phase One and Phase Two of Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy, as we expanded the National YMCA Playing to Learn curriculum with new training to include a focus on outdoor play for children, to fill the gap between research and practice of outdoor play.

To read about Phase One of the Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy, click here: https://lawson.ca/our-work/outdoor-play/first-phase/

To read about Phase Two of the Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy, click here: https://lawson.ca/our-work/outdoor-play/second-phase/

Andrew Taylor, Laine Bourassa, Ben Liadsky, and Amy Ellard-Gray. The Power of a Relational, Values-Driven Approach to Building Adult Capacity: Final Evaluation Report of Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0. June 2024. Toronto: Lawson Foundation