Denver, CO 80206
The ECHO Summit has reached capacity. Please email echo@qualistar.org to be added to a waitlist.
The second Annual Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) Summit will offer presentations by leading professionals in the fields of early childhood education and design, and outdoor hands-on activities showcasing innovative ideas and concepts participants can implement in their own child care settings.
During this full-day event at Denver Botanic Gardens, participants will learn innovative ways to support physical activity in naturalized outdoor play environments, see examples of how the designed environment engages children in outdoor play, and gain a deeper understanding of the many ways outdoor activity supports healthy development.
Participants will learn the value of naturalized outdoor play, how to engage young children outdoors, and how small changes in the outdoor environment can lead to lasting impacts on children and families.
We invite child care providers, directors, coaches, child care health consultants, early childhood council staff, environmental educators, landscape designers, and interested community members to attend our second Annual ECHO Summit.
ECHO Summit Theme: Nature Within Reach
ECHO Summit Agenda:
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Registration and light breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Welcome and introductions
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Keynote presentations
- Margaret Lamar, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Children and Nature Network
- Adam Bienenstock, Founder and Principal Designer, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Breakout Session #1
12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Breakout Session #2
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Afternoon break/snack
2:15 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.: Virtual presentation
- Richard Louv, Author
2:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Wrap up
Please click here to view Breakout Session options.
Summit Details:
Fee: $50/person
Light breakfast, lunch, snacks, and training materials provided.
By participating, you will earn 5.5 hours of training towards the annual licensing requirement of 15 hours of ongoing professional development.
Registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 1. Please register prior to this date.
For questions regarding registration, please call 303-339-6822 or email echo@qualistar.org.
Opportunity for Family Child Care Providers:
While many of the concepts and ideas that will be shared at the Summit are applicable to all types of child care facilities, we are also providing an opportunity specifically for family child care providers to learn how to implement a naturalized outdoor learning environment within their own backyard. We will host a special interactive breakout session specifically for family child care providers. A limited number of family child care providers will receive free Summit registration, a $75 travel stipend, and a $200 implementation incentive. Interested family child care providers must submit a response to the prompt below, and email a completed W-9, and commitment letter to echo@qualistar.org. Once these materials are received, you will be provided with a personalized registration code to activate your free registration for attendance at the Summit. Please be aware there are a limited number of sponsored slots available.
Prompt for family child care providers seeking sponsored attendance: In no more than 500 words, please respond to the following questions.
How do you think a more naturalized outdoor learning environment benefits young children? How are you currently engaging young children outdoors?
***If you were a sponsored family child care provider at the first annual ECHO Summit in October of 2017, or if you have attended Nature Play at Home, you are not eligible to receive the travel/substitute stipend or implementation grant.
Hotel:
If you will be traveling to Denver for the ECHO Summit and wish to stay overnight on Friday, October 12, we’ve secured a low rate for a limited number of rooms at the Warwick hotel in Downtown Denver. This room block and rate is available exclusively for ECHO Summit participants. Please follow this link to learn more and to make a reservation.
About ECHO:
The ECHO Initiative is a partnership between The National Wildlife Federation, Qualistar Colorado, and North Carolina State University’s Natural Learning Initiative. To learn more about the ECHO Initiative, please visit http://www.nwf.org/echo.
The ECHO Initiative is generously funded by The Colorado Health Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation.
We thank Denver Botanic Gardens for hosting our Annual ECHO Summit.
The ECHO Summit has reached capacity. Please email echo@qualistar.org to be added to a waitlist.
The second Annual Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) Summit will offer presentations by leading professionals in the fields of early childhood education and design, and outdoor hands-on activities showcasing innovative ideas and concepts participants can implement in their own child care settings.
During this full-day event at Denver Botanic Gardens, participants will learn innovative ways to support physical activity in naturalized outdoor play environments, see examples of how the designed environment engages children in outdoor play, and gain a deeper understanding of the many ways outdoor activity supports healthy development.
Participants will learn the value of naturalized outdoor play, how to engage young children outdoors, and how small changes in the outdoor environment can lead to lasting impacts on children and families.
We invite child care providers, directors, coaches, child care health consultants, early childhood council staff, environmental educators, landscape designers, and interested community members to attend our second Annual ECHO Summit.
ECHO Summit Theme: Nature Within Reach
ECHO Summit Agenda:
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Registration and light breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.: Welcome and introductions
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Keynote presentations
- Margaret Lamar, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Children and Nature Network
- Adam Bienenstock, Founder and Principal Designer, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Breakout Session #1
12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Lunch
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Breakout Session #2
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Afternoon break/snack
2:15 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.: Virtual presentation
- Richard Louv, Author
2:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Wrap up
Please click here to view Breakout Session options.
Summit Details:
Fee: $50/person
Light breakfast, lunch, snacks, and training materials provided.
By participating, you will earn 5.5 hours of training towards the annual licensing requirement of 15 hours of ongoing professional development.
Registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 1. Please register prior to this date.
For questions regarding registration, please call 303-339-6822 or email echo@qualistar.org.
Opportunity for Family Child Care Providers:
While many of the concepts and ideas that will be shared at the Summit are applicable to all types of child care facilities, we are also providing an opportunity specifically for family child care providers to learn how to implement a naturalized outdoor learning environment within their own backyard. We will host a special interactive breakout session specifically for family child care providers. A limited number of family child care providers will receive free Summit registration, a $75 travel stipend, and a $200 implementation incentive. Interested family child care providers must submit a response to the prompt below, and email a completed W-9, and commitment letter to echo@qualistar.org. Once these materials are received, you will be provided with a personalized registration code to activate your free registration for attendance at the Summit. Please be aware there are a limited number of sponsored slots available.
Prompt for family child care providers seeking sponsored attendance: In no more than 500 words, please respond to the following questions.
How do you think a more naturalized outdoor learning environment benefits young children? How are you currently engaging young children outdoors?
***If you were a sponsored family child care provider at the first annual ECHO Summit in October of 2017, or if you have attended Nature Play at Home, you are not eligible to receive the travel/substitute stipend or implementation grant.
Hotel:
If you will be traveling to Denver for the ECHO Summit and wish to stay overnight on Friday, October 12, we’ve secured a low rate for a limited number of rooms at the Warwick hotel in Downtown Denver. This room block and rate is available exclusively for ECHO Summit participants. Please follow this link to learn more and to make a reservation.
About ECHO:
The ECHO Initiative is a partnership between The National Wildlife Federation, Qualistar Colorado, and North Carolina State University’s Natural Learning Initiative. To learn more about the ECHO Initiative, please visit http://www.nwf.org/echo.
The ECHO Initiative is generously funded by The Colorado Health Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation.
We thank Denver Botanic Gardens for hosting our Annual ECHO Summit.