Congratulations to Dr. Maeghan James for being honoured with the ‘One to Watch’ award at ISBNPA 2025! The title of her talk was “Supporting children’s healthy development and movement behaviours through inclusive, nature-based early learning”. The abstract can be found below.
Abstract:
Active outdoor play in early childhood is essential for supporting health and development. Yet opportunities for outdoor play are steadily declining — particularly for children with disabilities, who often encounter additional barriers to physical activity and active play. Early childhood education (ECE) centres are uniquely positioned to promote outdoor play, but research on nature-based and outdoor-focused ECE centres remain limited and little is known about how these programs can effectively support children of all abilities. My research addresses this gap through the Sending PReschoolers OUTside (SPROUT) study, a prospective evaluation of one of Canada’s first licensed nature-based ECE programs. The SPROUT study compares naturebased and conventional ECE settings to assess the impacts on children’s physical, social, and cognitive development, as well as their 24-hour movement behaviours. Building on this work, the SPROUT-able project focuses specifically on children with disabilities, identifying barriers to outdoor play and co-developing inclusive strategies in partnership with families and communities. In this presentation, I will share preliminary findings from both the SPROUT and SPROUT-able projects. I aim to highlight how nature-based ECE can support holistic child development and movement behaviours, while also advancing equity in early learning environments. I will also discuss key barriers to outdoor play identified in our research and explore practical, inclusive strategies to support meaningful participation for children of all abilities.
Congratulations, Maeghan!
