Learning Grove has completed the first phase of a new nature-based LearningScape at its Altamont Early Learning Center in West Covington.
The project is designed to expand outdoor play and learning opportunities for local children. The outdoor classroom received funding through a PNC Foundation grant that supports high-quality outdoor spaces across PNC’s markets.
The LearningScape includes an interactive stone path, climbing logs, wooden bridges, sensory tables, hills, and other features designed to connect children with the natural environment while promoting movement and exploration.
“Outdoor play is critical to a child’s development, but PNC-funded research by the National Institute for Early Education Research revealed that about half of all children ages 3 to 5 and not yet in kindergarten do not play outdoors every day,” PNC Regional President Warren Weber said in a news release. “This collaboration with Learning Grove helps encourage outdoor play among our youngest learners. We see this funding as one way we can help our community’s future leaders develop the skills they need.”
Learning Grove CEO Shannon Starkey-Taylor said the new environment provides both play and developmental benefits.
“Every hill climbed, every stone turned over, every race across the grass is more than play; it’s practice for life and a daily chance to discover the joy of movement and friendship,” Starkey-Taylor said in the release.