CLIENT: Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
AGE GROUP: 2-5 years
DATE COMPLETED:
In 2012 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) committed to transforming over 80 existing asphalt playgrounds into nature-rich outdoor environments that change the way children engage, while supporting curriculum. As the second largest school district in the United States, the focus of this project is rooted in equity and providing quality outdoor spaces that uniquely respond to the needs of each community they serve.
Nature Explore was brought on the multi-disciplinary project team to serve as the nature play experts and early education specialists – focusing on design of the spaces and the training of the staff at each center. Our scope for each site includes: philosophy & visioning, concept design and workshops/training. We have also been involved in conducting post-occupancy evaluations at the completed project sites to evaluate stress levels, behavioral changes, and additional positive impacts of transforming these spaces and the way children, families and educators engage with them.
As part of the design team, Nature Explore is involved through the construction documents via coordination meetings and redlining sessions to ensure original design intent is retained. To date, 31 centers have been designed and 16 have been constructed. We continue to provide professional development services to these sites.
