WARWICK – Eighty nine projects across 29 local education agencies have received $7.5 million in grants from the R.I. Department of Education’s Learning Inside Out Outdoor Classroom initiative, state education and elected officials announced Thursday at Wyman Elementary School.
RIDE said the Learning Inside Out Outdoor Classroom Initiative promotes environmental literacy and community connection. It also addresses problems, such as inequitable outdoor access, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change.
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The grants, RIDE said, will help create, enhance and support access to natural resources for all students via outdoor classrooms or schoolyard habitats. Additionally, $500,000 will support professional development throughout the state.
“Outdoor learning encourages students to embrace their innate sense of exploration and discovery, igniting a lifelong love for learning,” R.I. Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said in a statement. “It teaches them resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills while developing a deep appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the world.”
Of the amount that was distributed, RIDE said $3.75 million of the grant funds will support projects in the urban core and $4.7 in the urban ring. The funding ranged between $6,300 to $2.6 million. The Providence Public School District received $2.6 million to fund projects across 26 city schools. PPSD was the only school district to receive funding in excess of $1 million.
Warwick Public Schools received $700,000 to fund seven projects, according to RIDE’s data. Foster-Glocester schools got $482,838 in grants for eight total projects, while Central Falls schools got $400,000 to finance four projects through the initiative, RIDE said. Seventeen other LEAs, including charter schools, received at least $100,000 each for their projects through the initiative.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
