With a Small request wanted Isabel Hiekelenvironmental policy spokesperson for the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament, from the Ministry of the Environment, wants to know how nature park day-care centers and schools are developing in the state and how children and young people are benefiting from them. In response, she says:
„I am very pleased that there are more and more nature park daycare centers and nature park schools in the country and that the country is actively supporting them. This particularly benefits children and young people who can attend these daycare centers and schools. On regular excursions and project days, they learn about nature, landscape, regional culture and crafts as well as sustainable forms of land use in their immediate environment. This not only awakens children’s interest in their environment at an early age, but also teaches them skills to deal with their environment sustainably. I am sure that this will also promote a sense of connection to one’s own homeland and the desire to become active locally for environmental protection and for the region.
The current Brandenburg Barometer makes it clear: What the people of Brandenburg value most about their life here is nature. This is particularly evident in our eleven nature parks, three biosphere reserves and one national park. These are not only beautiful, but also the basis for biodiversity, climate protection and adaptation. Our group has strengthened large protected areas and national natural landscapes during this legislative period. In order to preserve them permanently, we rely on all actors from the outset.“
Background:
In the state of Brandenburg, 13 nature park day-care centers and 10 nature park schools in various districts have already been awarded. They are anchored in the nationwide network of nature park day-care centers and nature park schools of the Association of German Nature Parks. The award of nature park day-care center and nature park school is based on special criteria according to which the educational institutions undertake to regularly anchor nature park topics and topics of education for sustainable development (ESD) in everyday day-care center life and lessons. Educators and teachers are trained accordingly for this. Employees of the nature park support the educational specialists with teaching content with a regional focus, on excursions or on project days. The nature parks benefit from being more firmly anchored in the region and among the citizens. The state supports the cooperations by providing funds in the budget for the implementation of projects and training courses at schools and day-care centers, by providing personnel resources for the support of the cooperations and for communication about the cooperations.
