Welcome to a new approach to sustainability education. We are excited to share three innovative research projects focused on the United Nations Framework of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social justice). 

 We propose three research projects to investigate the process of how early childhood educators develop their identity as related to sustainability practices in early childhood classrooms, especially in terms of articulating realizations and understanding one’s own capacity as a sustainability leader. The aim of this research is to investigate how early childhood teachers view themselves in their sustainability practices and enact those practices in the early childhood classroom.

Join us in one or more of these innovative projects in early childhood sustainability. 

Early Childhood Sustainability Community Action Project [ESCAPE] (Online and Available Nationally)

We seek to understand how professional development interactions through online workshops, coaching sessions, and interviews impact sustainability identity. Working with early childhood educators, this study is designed to understand early childhood educator's experiences and actions in their classroom practice across the UN sustainability domains by: 

1. providing a series of four workshops that contextual the UN Concepts and how they can be integrated into early childhood curriculum and not as a stand-alone unit; 

2. working with early childhood educators in small group coaching session between workshops to understand how they are implementing practices through classroom activities in their settings; and, 

3. conducting individual interviews to reflect sustainability identity and if practices change over time.

The University of Oklahoma, Hunter College - City University New York, and Portland State University are working to reimage sustainability practices.

Exploring Inquiry-Based Sustainability Pedagogies in Early Childhood (Online and Available Nationally)

This part of the research aims to examine how the United Nations sustainably Model is or would be integrated into Early Childhood classrooms. This would help in developing an early childhood framework that includes the interactions of environmental justice, social justice, and economic justice. The implementation of such curricula in early childhood setting enhance the relationship between classroom activities and sustainability practices within the larger community. To ensure success is important to include teachers in the process of developing such curricula. This provides an understanding of early childhood limitations and opportunities to implement the  UN sustainability framework since the dominant sustainability practice of early childhood is confined within gardening, and recycle. Hence, having teachers engagement it will provide new examples in the field that could help in understanding the best way to level up sustainability practices.

Potential interview practices.

• What children engagement with sustainability in general (classroom and community/home)

• What are the current sustainability practices in the early childhood classroom?

• Do you think children are able to understand sustainability beyond the classroom?

• What is your dream practice of sustainability in the classroom

• Do you think there should be a discussion about sustainability between teachers, parents, and community?

• Who is responsible to move this discussion early childhood curricula?

• Do you think there is limitations in implementing the three dimensions UN in the classroom?

Toward Inquiry-Based Sustainability Pedagogies in Early Childhood (New York City)

We seek to understand how adults and children design an integrated project that encompasses sustainability practices while making connections and enhancing children’s knowledge of consumerism, material production, women’s rights, environmental impact, and social awareness. An intention of the project is to explore answers to the question, Where do toys come from?  Initially, teachers will listen to children’s ideas and see what types of preconceived notions they have about toys and their production. The teacher will then provide extension activities to build on children’s prior knowledge, and to extend their thinking about the materials they use on a daily basis. While teachers and children engage in these projects, researchers will document and analyze the learning experiences related to sustainable practices.