Natural Environments Near Schools: Potential Benefits for Socio‐Emotional and Behavioral Development in Early Childhood

Abstract

Features of the natural environment such as tree canopy and green space have been found to promote health and well-being; however, minimal research has investigated potential benefits of nature near schools for early childhood development. This study examined differences in teacher ratings of preschoolers' socio-emotional and behavioral functioning in relation to the presence of natural elements (e.g., trees, parks) near children's homes and schools. Students' development of emotional and behavioral regulatory skills was the greatest when there were high levels of tree canopy either at home or school. Additionally, students developed greater independence and social skills when their schools were in neighborhoods with limited impervious surface (e.g., concrete); this trend was the most pronounced for students from neighborhoods low in impervious surface. Further, results suggested that associations with tree canopy may fluctuate seasonally (i.e., stronger relationships in the spring) and that the potential impact of school nature may depend on levels of home nature exposure. Although not yielding causal evidence regarding the impact of nature exposure or the effectiveness of greening interventions, findings suggest that school administrators and city planners could collaborate to maximize potential benefits of greening efforts near schools or within their catchment zones.

Reducing Inequities in Early Childhood Mental Health: How Might the Neighborhood Built Environment Help Close the Gap? A Systematic Search and Critical Review

“…Availability (i.e., quantity) of nature or public open space in the neighborhood was measured in various ways including: Proportion of nature/public open space in a buffer area; satellite imagery around home; and parent-reported availability. Three studies used the proportion of natural space or public open space within a pre-defined area around a child’s residence [54,55,56]. In Australia, higher proportion of public open space in the child’s area of residence was associated with lower mental health difficulties [55].…”

“…Further, when stratifying by maternal education (low vs. high) and by gender, this study found significant differences between subgroups; for example, higher proportion of natural space was associated with fewer peer problems in young children with less-educated mothers, and more prosocial behavior in children with more-educated mothers [54]. In the United States, a higher proportion of tree canopy around children’s residence was associated with improved self-regulation and decreased behavior concerns, but not with peer or teacher relationships or children’s initiative to meet their own needs [56].…”

“…Two studies used satellite imagery or aerial photography to measure quantity of natural or public open space in the neighborhood [56,57]. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to operationalize the concept of ‘surrounding greenness’ (i.e., availability of nature or green space) within a certain buffer area around children’s homes [57].…”

Impact of Green Space Exposure on Children’s and Adolescents’ Mental Health: A Systematic Review

“…Keywords such as ‘natural environment’, ‘natural playground’, ‘green schoolyard’ etc., were up to now used to a rather limited extent within the field. However, these keywords might gain traction in the coming years as can be suspected from publications that appeared after the final search for this review had been conducted [39,40]. For reasons of comparability, use of the same outcome measures as in earlier research, such as the SDQ, is recommended.…”

The Low-Impact Development Demand Index: A New Approach to Identifying Locations for LID

“…Studies have shown that LID and GI improve the educational performance, and socioemotional, behavioral, and cognitive development of students [91,92]. In particular, preschoolers at educational risk were found to have greater development of independence and social skills when enrolled to schools with higher levels of plant-based LID [91]. The fourth criteria (SEI 4 ) assigns priority to sites that are closer to hospitals to improve the health status of patients.…”