The Nature Explore Classroom at

The red ribbon was cut, and just like that the outdoor classroom officially opened at CEOGC’s Louis Stokes Head Start Center. It’s the first outdoor classroom set to be certified at a Head Start center in the State of Ohio.

CEOGC’s Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm and Dr. Thea Wilson welcomed staff, parents and community partners to the center to celebrate the exciting occasion. There were also representatives from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s and U.S. Congresswoman Marcia Fudge’s office. Both of the lawmakers’ representatives emphasized the importance of this classroom and the unwavering support those lawmakers have for early childhood education and innovative projects like this.

The outdoor classroom includes benches and stools, water tables, a sand area, digging beds, planting areas and a musical area with an instrument and stage. This space is set up to encourage teacher and parental involvement and allows students to learn in a different environment than the classroom. Research has shown exposure to nature helps a person’s physical and mental well being.

This project is made possible because of support from our partners: Starting Point and PRE4CLE and funding from Invest in Children.

Address

4075 East 173rd Street
Cleveland, OH  44128