The woodland park ZOO will expand its partnership with refugee women's alliance (rewa) to provide culturally responsive nature-based programming for puget sound-region children from diverse backgrounds

The Woodland Park Zoo will partner with Refugee Women's Alliance (REWA) to provide $494,782 in nature-based early childhood programming through August 2024. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the Museums for America federal grant program, the partners will co-design and deliver inclusive learning activities aligned with curricula used in REWA's early learning centers and other regional preschools. They will create complementary resources in four languages to support children's nature play at home. A toolkit and training resources will disseminate the culturally responsive programming to early childhood educators across the Puget Sound region. The project aims to leverage the zoo's resources while respecting cultural identities and families served by REWA.

The partners will CO-design, deliver, and evaluate a suite of inclusive, flexible learning activities aligned with curricula used at rewa's early learning centers (elcs) as well as other regional elcs and preschools. They will create complementary resources in four languages (english, chinese, vietnamese, and spanish) to help parents and caregivers support children's nature play at home or in outdoor spaces in ways that feel comfortable for their families. They will disseminate a toolkit and training resources to support the programming's use by early childhood educators across the region. Through this project, rewa will leverage the ZOO's resources while ensuring the cultural identities of its youngest learners and their families are welcomed, respected, and sustained.