Perspectives from Caregivers on the Advantages of Nature-Based Education before and during COVID-19 Pandemic

Nature-based preschool programs continue to grow in popularity across the world. These programs provide children with critically important experiences and help them gain skills that contribute to early school success and accomplishments later in life. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory lockdowns resulted in reduced opportunities for children to attend in-person preschool programs of all types. Under these circumstances, researchers hypothesized that COVID-19 would have negative or even deleterious effects on students' well-being, but that these effects might be buffered by spending time outdoors and engaging with nature. The purpose of this study was to gain perspectives from caregivers in the United States (US) about the effects of a nature-based program on their children and determine how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent loss of access to the preschool affected their children. Using a mixture of choice and open-ended questions, 91 caregivers shared perspectives on their children's outdoor activities, sleep habits, and general mood/well-being. Open-ended responses were qualitatively coded into major thematic categories. Results indicated that although the lockdowns had some negative effects in terms of sleep quality and general well-being, most children were resilient as they remained active outdoors and maintained healthy sleep patterns. Furthermore, many caregivers specifically attributed the development of this resilience to the nature-based preschool and the habits it instilled in their children. This research highlights the potential positive influences that nature-based preschool has on children and how these programs can contribute to resilient children who are better equipped to deal with disruptions to daily life.