The Connecticut Audubon Society will expand its Science in Nature program to Manchester, East Hartford, and Windham County with the help of a grant from the Savings Bank of Manchester Charitable Foundation.
The grant, which will give $61,141 to the schools, will include two components: hands-on courses for students and professional development for participating teachers to ensure the program continues to be taught.
Students from Manchester and East Hartford will be able to travel to Connecticut Audubon’s Center at Glastonbury for the Science in Nature courses, while students from Putnam Elementary and Killingly Memorial schools will travel to the Center at Pomfret for Science in Nature.
“SBMCF’s generosity has allowed hundreds of children from under-served communities to experience authentic outdoor learning,” said Michelle Eckman, Connecticut Audubon’s education director and the director of the Center at Glastonbury.
The Connecticut Audubon Society’s mission is to conserve the environment through education and advocacy. Its focus is on the state’s bird population and their habitats.
“We have been gratified at how the program has changed the children’s attitudes about nature and helped them appreciate it more,” said Sarah Hemingway, director of the Center at Pomfret. “That’s what we are seeing in so many of our Science in Nature students.”
The Science in Nature program began in 2012 and has since reached 75 percent of the state’s school districts.
Originally published by the Journal Inquirer.
Jackie Nappo 