Environmental Scan of Child and Youth Outdoor Play-Based Projects, Programs, Activities and Services Available in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Congratulations to HALOites Dr. Louise de Lannoy,  Lindsay MacDonald, Kheana Barbeau, and Dr. Mark Tremblay on their recent paper titled “Environmental scan of outdoor play-based projects, programs, activities and services available in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic” just published in Children, Youth and Environments. Citation details and a summary of the article are below.

Great work, Louise and team!

Citation

Lannoy, L., MacDonald, L., Barbeau, K., & Tremblay, M.S. (2022). Environmental Scan of Child and Youth Outdoor Play-Based Projects, Programs, Activities and Services Available in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Children, Youth and Environments 32(1), 84-127. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/855978.

Abstract

Restrictions to childcare, schools, and after-school programs during COVID-19 have meant that many programs and organizations have adapted to take place outdoors. To better understand the nature and extent of these adaptations, we conducted a Canada-wide environmental scan of outdoor play-based child and youth projects, programs, activities, and services available during the height of the pandemic (2020-2021) using a “formal searching” method. We identified 79 items in Canada related to outdoor play during COVID-19 and received 36 responses to our survey of child and youth-oriented outdoor play providers (conducted during May 2021). This scan highlights the overwhelming support for outdoor play during the pandemic and makes recommendations on how outdoor play may support post-pandemic recovery efforts.

Click here to read the full article.