To the Editor:

On April 7, the bipartisan No Child Left Inside Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate. The No Child Left Inside Act, if passed, will provide grants for states and school districts to integrate environmental education into their core academic programs. The bill would authorize $150 million annually through 2027 and offers a significant step forward for more equitable access to environmental and outdoor learning in PreK–12 schools.

Why should we support this legislation? Stanford University researchers found that high quality environmental education programs result in 90 percent of students reporting gains in academic performance, knowledge, skills, confidence, motivation, and behavior changes.

Affluent school districts and independent schools understand how this kind of experience benefits their students and often provide opportunities for their students to attend multi-day environmental education programs year after year. They understand that because of these programs their students demonstrate knowledge gains across multiple disciplines, including environmental issues, science, and math, while deepening their social-emotional skills such as self-esteem, character development, and teamwork.

Sadly, students from less-affluent districts lack these important opportunities for access and equity to environmental education experiences. One of our Trenton-based school partners reported that while they once had the opportunity to attend such a program with their fifth-grade class, the necessary funding was cut years ago.

At the Princeton-Blairstown Center, we know that access to outdoor and environmental education programs is critically important for students from historically marginalized communities. That’s why we developed our award-winning Summer Bridge Program six years ago and why we are committed to providing transformative environmental education opportunities for middle-school students in Trenton.

Urge your legislators to support this bipartisan No Child Left Inside Act so that all students can enjoy the full benefits that come from high-quality outdoor education experiences.

Pam Gregory
President & CEO, Princeton-Blairstown Center