OLE! LUBBOCK - OUTDOOR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS TO COMBAT CHILDHOOD OBESITY THROUGH HEALTHY, ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1015339
• Grant No.: 2018-70001-27830
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $149,982.00
• Proposal No.: 2017-09196
• Project Start Date: Apr 1, 2018
• Project End Date: Mar 31, 2022
• Grant Year: 2018
• Program Code: [NLGCA]- Capacity Building Grants for Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture

Recipient Organization
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
LUBBOCK,TX 79409

Performing Department
Landscape Architecture

Non Technical Summary
This proposal seeks funding to establish OLÉ! Lubbock, in association with a state-wide initiative to combat obesity through the design and programming of naturalized, Outdoor Learning Environments (OLE). It will be a multidisciplinary collaborative between faculty from Landscape Architecture (LA) Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) and Interior Design (ID). The collaborative will be one of several regional efforts sponsored by OLÉ! Texas, a program developed by the Department of State Health Service (DSHS), Obesity Prevention Program, to provide design and programing assistance for the development of Outdoor Learning Environments throughout Texas. The program is based on the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) model program developed by the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI). Their evidence-based, Best Practice Indicators promote the design of childcare center outdoor learning environments that increase childhood physical activity, increase age-appropriate motor skills, increase food awareness, and promote healthier lifestyles.Research shows that well-designed outdoor learning environments (AKA playgrounds) at childcare centers increase levels of physical activity and significantly reduces sedentary behavior. Since 20 percent of children nationwide ages 2-5 are considered obese, child care centers represent a significant, early intervention opportunity for combating this nationwide obesity epidemic. Interventions that emphasize naturalization as an intervention strategy have shown many positive mental and physical health effects as a result of their interaction with the natural environment. One of the most essential activities is fruit and vegetable gardening. Along with the curriculum that teaches children about where their food comes from and how it is produced, almost all centers are able to supplement their daily meals and snacks with healthy foods grown on site in their own gardening areas.The Texas Tech team has worked with DSHS and NLI over the past eighteen months as members of the state-wide leadership team, and to sponsor the first pilot demonstration design workshop in Texas. Of the regional pilot projects, it is the only one sponsored by a university-based team. OLÉ! Lubbock will build upon their work with DSHS to combine community outreach, both empirical and applied research, and a program of experiential learning and leadership development for graduate students. The model uses a train-the-trainer methodology to transfer knowledge about the design, management and programming of outdoor space to support healthy outcomes. The team will also draw upon the resources available through the Texas Tech University's Obesity Research Cluster, a multidisciplinary, university-wide team of researchers, advisors and mentors.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

0%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
724	6099	3111	100%

Knowledge Area
724 - Healthy Lifestyle;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3111 - Landscape architecture;

Keywords

obesity

Goals / Objectives
Goals and Objectives: There are three main goals for this program; outreach, education and research. Each are outlined below along with the objectives that will help the team to reach those goals. Specific outcomes and benchmarks are detailed in section C - Methods (4) Expected Results below.Goal 1: Outreach: To build upon and maintain the momentum for the establishment of OLÉ! Lubbock while seeking additional, long-term sustainable funding sources.The Texas Tech Team has the unique expertise to contribute to the continuation of this valuable community outreach program. Drs. Klein and Gaines are the only designers on the state-wide leadership team and Drs. Colwell and Elle have expertise in multidisciplinary work that brings together food safety, nutrition, agriculture, and early childhood developmental science.Because the TTU team is positioned to emulate the extremely successful NLI model that has been refined over the past nine years. As the sole educational institution on the state-wide OLE Texas leadership team, the outreach would eventually extend beyond the Lubbock, panhandle region to become the state-aide hub for design assistance and training. Texas Tech has state-wide satellite locations including Junction, El Paso and the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Eventual expansion and the potential local impact of the OLÉ! Lubbock program could conceivable approach the projected state-wide impact of the OLÉ! Texas project.Several child development centers have contacted the researchers and expressed an interest in being selected as an OLÉ! Lubbock site. The development of additional Lubbock sites will build upon the "learning by doing" concept started by DSHS and NLI at the first demonstration site. The long-range goal is to procure funding to be able to sustain the program and expand outreach opportunities to the city of Lubbock, the West Texas region, and beyond. The program could also expand into other outdoor environments such as public schools and parks.The continuation of the program will also enable the transfer of knowledge and materials to improve childcare centers and advance evidence-based design assistance, teacher training, and information strategies for early childcare centers to meet outdoor learning environment standards that support physical activity and healthful living. Results of the evaluation will be shared with partners and other stakeholders to demonstrate the effectiveness of the project. Results may also be used to update childcare facility licensing regulations and policies.?Goal 2: Education: To continue to provide design and technical assistance, training and support for the completion of complete Outdoor Learning Environment master plans and action plans for local childcare facilities.Service-Learning has been a significant pedagogy across the breadth of the Texas Tech campus, including landscape architecture, interior and environmental design, and early child hood development. The collaboration between the three disciplines will provide an additional level of innovation as the students gain a greater understanding of each other's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Support for graduate students, in much the same model as NLI, will allow them to expand their learning through real-world experiences, to become leaders in the field of facilitating community design workshops, training programs, action planning, and program implementation.The learning by doing experiences can also be translated to include evidence-based OLE principles in other design and child development classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Research has shown that training workshops for childcare providers is essential to the success of an outdoor learning environment. For example, many teachers are unfamiliar with what is necessary for fruit and vegetable production, especially in the semi-arid climate of Lubbock. Developing relevant teacher training workshops will be an important component of this program.Another aspect of leadership development will be the graduate students' assistance with developing and implementing a research agenda described in detail below.Goal 3: Research: To develop a formal research agenda to document the evidence-based design and programming intervention outcomes.As mentioned above, the design of outdoor learning environments is an evidence-based paradigm developed by the Natural Learning Initiative which is part of the North Carolina State University School of Design. With exhaustive research and refinement they have developed a set of twelve best practice indicators to guide the development of an outdoor learning environment. In fact it was their initiative that convinced the North Carolina state legislature to change the term playground to outdoor learning environment in the legislation. A methodology known as Behavior Mapping has been the cornerstone of NLI's evidence-based design strategies for early childcare facilities. It is an observational research methodology based on the theories of behavior settings and affordance for linking childrens' level of activity with the form and content of the outdoor physical environment. The methodology is relatively non-intrusive as it codes the activity within the setting, and not specific individuals. NLI has refined the methodology and now utilizes GIS and smartphone/tablet applications to more efficiently and accurately document their research.NLI has also noted that longitudinal studies could be used as pre- and post- intervention studies to document the impact of outdoor learning environment changes as an intervention strategy. Therefore, Dr. Klein has proposed to the TTU administration a development leave (sabbatical) for the fall 2018 to receive comprehensive training in both the research methodology and the use of the technology (especially GIS) in order to master Behavior Mapping for use in Texas' environmentally and socially diverse settings.In addition to the NLI training, the grant proposes funding for two on-line, professional education certificate programs titled "Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments." These classes were developed by NLI and are delivered through the North Carolina State University Continuing Education Program. The goal of both courses is to transfer knowledge about participatory design processes and tools to improve childcare outdoor learning environments. One course is designed specifically for early childhood educators while the other is primarily for landscape designers. Drs. Gaines and Klein as well as several of their graduate students have completed the design course. The course for educators will be valuable to Early Childhood and Horticulture CO-PDs as well as childcare center directors and teachers. As members of the TTU Obesity Research Cluster (ORC) the OLÉ! Lubbock team will work closely with other researchers from a variety of disciplines to inform the development of a significant research agenda. Most importantly, the OLÉ! Lubbock team will work closely with ORC to identify potential, long-term funding that will help sustain the program. Whether it be in partnership with ORC research proposals, or as a stand-alone application, the OLÉ! Lubbock team is committed to establishing the program as a viable, long-term community outreach, teaching, and research entity.

Project Methods
Methods:(1)Stakeholder involvement in problem identification, planning, and implementation; The TTU team will adopt the NLI model for implementing OLÉ! Lubbock workshops, programming and training. The model is grounded in a community-based process that involves a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the selection of daycare center sites, the workshop itself, the subsequent action planning, and the implementation assistance. The process includes an application process and extensive pre-workshop evaluation program that includes a teacher and parent survey. Many of the outside stakeholders, such as Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas Workforce Childcare Services are already members of the OLÉ! Lubbock coalition formed in cooperation with DSHS. Throughout the process, TTU will act as advisors providing technical assistance to evaluate stakeholder input, facilitate the design workshops, develop action, provide teacher training, and guidance for incremental implementation of the plans. Daycare centers that are chosen for an intervention must agree to the up to two-year process as well as an on-site open house event to present their experiences.Along with the childcare design workshops, the OLÉ! Lubbock coalition will help identify opportunities for funding to support both the research activities as well as the implementation of the design interventions. For example, State funding for pollinator garden design and construction is expected by mid-June, which will prompt the need for specific design plans and teacher training for incorporating them and their importance, into the childcare curriculum. The Obesity Research Cluster will be a valuable partner in identifying additional funding for the research component and will included state and national resources as well as private foundations. For example, many of NLI's programs are funded by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield foundation and the ORC could help with or partner on grant applications to such organizations.One important aspect of the NLI model that will be adopted by OLÉ! Lubbock is provisions for small, seed money grant for the daycare centers to start their outdoor learning environment renovations. As little as a few hundred dollars to a few thousand has been shown to be sufficient to kick-start the grass-roots initiative and get teachers, parents, and children involved. A common phase one project is often the development of a vegetable gardening area and the planting of fruit trees.

Progress 04/01/18 to 03/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences for this entire funding period of this project included childcare providers, graduate and undergraduate students, professional designers and community stakeholders with an interest in addressing obesity and quality childcare. Childcare Providers: Outdoor Learning Environment Design workshops were completed with a total of 13 childcare centers over the course of the project. • Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program; Early Head Start Open House, 2/22/19 (approx. 25 people) • Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program Early Connections for Lifelong Learning Conference, 2/23/19 (approx. 75 attendees) • Two presentations to Texas Workforce Commission, Childcare Services to inform centers about the OLE! Texas initiative and to solicit applications for a design workshop, 8/8/18 (total of approx. 22 centers and 35 individuals present) Graduate and undergraduate students: • 3 Graduate students supported with stipends • 13 Additional graduate students involved in the program (including dissertation research projects) with funding from sources that made awards based on their work with the OLE! Texas initiative. • 4 Undergraduate research assistants. Community Stakeholders: • Met with Mayor Dan Pope to inform him of the program and to solicit letters of support for funding applications. • Met with Scouting executives to inform and solicit volunteers for Eagle Scout projects at childcare centers. • Met with local tree trimming company to solicit donations of material for stump seating, loose parts, "tree cookie" stepping stones and climbing logs. (Owner has since donated three truckloads of material to one childcare center) • Established the Texas Tech Center for Natural Learning that highlights faculty work and research, including OLE! Texas, and developed a website that houses resources and completed masterplans for community Professional Designers Designers were invited to design workshops to learn about the process Completed 3 trainings for professional designers to learn about the OLE Design Workshop process Changes/Problems:Our work was curtailed in the 2020-2021 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and our inability to gain entry to childcare centers in Texas. We also suffered the loss of our colleague and original PI on this project, Dr. Charlie Klein, to COVID-19 in December 2020. The original plan for the grant funding was that in this final year, Dr. Klein was going to devote close to 100% of his faculty time on this project. As we adjusted our project in 2021, we completed the goals for the project, but without the benefit of Dr. Klein working full-time on the project. This also is the reason there is grant funding remained unused. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We completed four design workshops in 2021 and 13 total throughout the course of the project that provided training and professional development about outdoor learning environments to early childhood providers, their stakeholders, and professional designers. We completed an online pilot version of training for 9 professional designers in November 2020. We revised the online training and trained 11 designers in July 2021. Graduate and undergraduate students working with us also gained training in the OLE! Texas Design Workshop process, how to work with stakeholders and childcare providers, and with an interdisciplinary faculty team. Graduate students received hands-on training about using GIS-based behavior mapping for observational data collection during data collection at the San Antonio Zoo School trip. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?One member of our team, Kristi Gaines, is a member of the statewide OLE! Texas Leadership Team and she provides updates about the progress and work of the group at the leadership team meetings. We maintain a website: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/coalition_for_natural_learning/ that provides information and resources about the OLE! Texas project available to community stakeholders, students, professional designers, and early childhood educators. We provided a Webinar about our work entitled "Promoting Child Development, Inclusion and Health through Natural Learning" in October 2020. https://youtu.be/MQUYjO9Nopc Work related to OLE! Texas was featured in five news stories done by Texas Tech University: LA students design CDRC preschool outdoor classroom honoring Collins Researchers study hands-on gardening's role in preventing preschool obesity https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/news/posts/2018/06/charles-klein-decrease-childhood-obesity-rates.php https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/news/posts/2020/03/la-faculty-recognized-in-engaged-scholarship-award.php https://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/outreach-engagement/faculty/Awards/emerging-award.php In 2020, we received the Interior Design Educators Council Media Award for OLE! Inspector Guide (North American Winner). We also received the 2020 President's Emerging Engaged Scholarship Award from Texas Tech University for our engaged scholarship with childcare centers in Texas. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Overall, this project has allowed us to work with 13 childcare centers in the state of Texas to provide evidence based design workshops for their outdoor learning environments. These outdoor learning environments provide children and early childhood educators spaces to enhance children's learning and development across all developmental domains. We also have trained designers to implement the OLE design workshops. Goal 1: Outreach Our team completed design workshops for four childcare centers in Texas. We did workshops at the TTU Child Develpment Research Center (8/10/21), Alpha Academy #3 in Pasadena, TX (9/10/21), Austin Community College Children's Learning Lab (9/16/21), and the Lubbock YWCA (12/13/21). We also disseminated 3 newsletters to childcare providers, designers in the design network, and others interested in OLE! Texas. We maintain a website that includes updates of projects, members, and opportunities to be involved. We applied for and received funding from Texas Department of State Health Services to continue our OLE! Texas work in 2023. We submitted an additional grant to USDA in November, 2021 that would allow us to continue to highlight the work of OLE! Texas with childcare centers around the state and to use technology to help centers leverage their outdoor spaces as they market their centers to familes. Goal 2: Education We supported 1 graduate student during FY 2021 who has worked on various aspects of the project, including providing guidance on plants and plants as loose parts for the TTU Child Development Research Center design workshop and community presentation. Seven additional graduate students participated in preparing materials for the design workshops, behavior mapping data collection, design workshops, creating basemaps, and producing final drawings and renderings. Goal 3: Research We completed behavior mapping at three locations this year (San Antonio Zoo School, Sammy's House in Austin, Alpha Academcy in Pasadena, TX). The results of this data collection are currently being analyzed and will be compared with post-test behavior mapping to assess changes in children's usage of materials and elements in the outdoor learning environment after renovations. Four graduate students completed the course Designing for Naturalized Environments offered by Dr. Kristi Gaines in the Department of Design at Texas Tech Unviersity in Summer 2021. Two early childhood educators completed NLI's online training course Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments. Through our work with childcare providers, early chidlhood educators, professional designers, and graduate and undergraduate students, we have been able to successfully raise awareness of the importance and utility of evidence based outdoor learning environments for young children. We have provided training to early childhood professionals and professional designers, as well as students, to help them understand and implement outdoor learning environments. The training provided enhances the sustainability of the OLE! Texas model. We accomplished our goal of data collection to determine children's behaviors in the outdoor learning environment elements. Results from the data collection efforts are forthcoming.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gaines, K., Anderson-Guerrero, M. Designing Child Friendly Landscapes. (2021, July). Texas Nursery and Landscape Association Expo, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, San Antonio.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C. & Colwell, M. (2020, September). An Evidence-based approach to Child Health and Education through the Built Environment. Child in the City World Conference, Dublin, Ireland. Accepted for presentation. Conference postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C. & Colwell, M. (2020, July). Utilizing Design Principles to Promote Inclusion in the Learning Environment. The European Conference on Education, London, United Kingdom. Presented through virtual presentation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Webinar (2020, October 26). Promoting Child Development, Inclusion and Health through Natural Learning https://youtu.be/MQUYjO9Nopc
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Klein, C., Gaines, K., Colwell, M. (2020). OLE! Texas Designer Guide, Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Coalition for Natural Learning and Austin, TX: Texas Department of State Health Services. ISBN: 978-1-7348412-0-6
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C., Colwell, M. & Abbasi, S. (2020> OLE! Texas Inspectors Guide. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Coalition for Natural Learning and Austin, TX: Texas Department of State Health Services. ISBN: 978-1-7348412-1-3
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Coalition for Natural Learning Web Site: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/coalition_for_natural_learning/Resources/OLE_Texas.php
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C., Colwell, M., & Guerrero, L. )September 2019) Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Frisco, TX, "The OLE! Texas Initiative: Living the vision"
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C., Guerrero, L., & Abbasi, S.(October 2019) Interior Design Educators Council "Design Professionals as Leaders in Childhood Health an Well-Being" Southwest Regional Conference
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: Monsur, M., Andalib, S., & Trina, N. (2022). Mapping Conversations: A Novel Method for Exploring Environment-Behavior Relationships in Early Childhood Learning Landscapes. Council for Educators in Landscape Architecture. Santa Ana Pueblo, NM.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Klein, C., Gaines, K., & Abassi, S. (May, 2019)Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), Brooklyn, NY, "Parental/Teacher Preferences for Children's Outdoor Learning Environment"
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Klein, C., Gaines, K., & Colwell, M. (April 2019). Texas American Society of Landscape Architects, Annual Conference and Expo, Irving Texas, "The OLE! Texas Initiative"

Progress 04/01/20 to 03/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audiences this reporting period were childcare center personnel and professional designers. We reached our audience of childcare center personnel by conducting 4 outdoor learning environment design workshops. We reached designers via online an online training we provided for designers interested in joining the OLE! Texas certified designer network (July 2021). Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic continued to curtail our work to some extent in the 2020- 2021 academic year. We were unable to gain entry into childcare centers until fall 2021. We also suffered the loss of our colleague and original PI on this project, Dr. Charles Klein, in December 2020. The original plan was for Dr. Klein to devote his full half time status to work on the OLE initiative. As we adjusted our project in 2021, we completed the goals for the project, but without the benefit of Dr. Klein working on the project. He was going to partially fund his half time salary via this grant and this is the reason for some grant money being unused. Dr. Lori Guerrero worked on aspects of our project this year. She transitioned from a graduate student to a faculty member in the Department of Design in 2021 and we are excited to have her continue her work with us on OLE initiatives. Dr. Muntazar Monsur, faculty member if Landscape Architecture, also worked on various aspects of this project, including the behavior mapping at the San Antonio Zoo School and training others to complete behavior mapping. Jared Horsford also joined our team to assist with the design workshops and plans. He is an instructor in the department of Landscape Architecture at TTU. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? All four design workshops in 2021 provided childcare centers with a masterplan for OLE improvements and are conducted as a training opportunity for local design professionals. In collaboration with Texas Department of State Health Services, we provided an online intensive two-day certification seminar for profesional designers. Eleven designers participated in the training July 29-30, 2021. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Participated in 2 statewide leadership team meetings Completed 3 professional conference presentations Provided a Webinar entitled "Promoting Child Development, Inclusion, and Health through Natural Learning" Work related to this project was featured in two Texas Tech News Stories: LA students design CDRC preschool outdoor classroom honoring Collins Researchers study hands-on gardening's role in preventing preschool obesity What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: Outreach Our team completed design workshops and trainings for four childcare centers in Texas (TTU Child Development Research Center, Alpha Academy #3, Austin Community College Children's Learning Lab, and Lubbock YWCA). We disseminated three newsletters to childcare providers, designers in the design network, and others interested in OLE! Texas. We maintained the Coalition for Natural Learning website that includes updates of projects, members, and opportunities to be involved. We applied for and received funding from Texas Department of State Health Services to continue our OLE! Texas work in 2023. We submitted a grant to USDA in November 2021 that would allow us to continue to highlight the work of OLE! Texas with childcare centers around the state adn to use technology to help centers leverage their outdoor spaces as they market their centers to families. Goal 2: Education We supported 1 graduate student during FY 2021 who has worked on various aspects of the project, including providing guidance on plants and plants as loose parts for the TTU Child Development Research Center community presentation. Seven additional graduate students participated in preparing materials for the design workshops, behavior mapping data collection, design workshops, creating basemaps, and producting final drawings and renderings. Goal 3: Research We completed behavior mapping at three locations this year (San Antonio Zoo School, Sammy's House in Austin, ALpha Academy in Pasadena, TX). The results of this data collection are currently being analyzed and will be compared to post-test behavior mapping to assess changes in children's usage of materials and elements in the outdoor learning environment after renovations. Two early childhood educators completed the Natural Learning Institutue's online training course: Early Childhood Outdoor Learning. Four graduate students took the course Designing for Naturalized Environments offered by Dr. Kristi Gaines in Summer 2021. A journal article is in preparation about the preferences early childhood educators have for elements in their outdoor learning environments.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gaines, K., Anderson-Guerrero, M. Designing Child Friendly Landscapes. (2021, July). Texas Nursery and Landscape Association Expo, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, San Antonio.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C. & Colwell, M. (2020, September). An Evidence-based approach to Child Health and Education through the Built Environment. Child in the City World Conference, Dublin, Ireland. Accepted for presentation. Conference postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C. & Colwell, M. (2020, July). Utilizing Design Principles to Promote Inclusion in the Learning Environment. The European Conference on Education, London, United Kingdom. Presented through virtual presentation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Webinar (2020, October 26). Promoting Child Development, Inclusion and Health through Natural Learning https://youtu.be/MQUYjO9Nopc

Progress 04/01/19 to 03/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this period includes the previously reported childcare providers, graduate and undergraduate students, and community stakeholders with an interest in addressing obesity and quality childcare as well as professional designers who might be interested in oing the statewide OLE! Texas certified designers' network. Changes/Problems:Without question, the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed much of the program's off-site activities, including behavior mapping, other on-site research, and facilitation of design workshops with childcare centers. Conference presentations and attendance has also been suspended. To address the issue, options for virtual workshops are being considered. Before the pandemic, the economy meant that most design professionals were very busy with highly profitable projects. While they were less interested in the relatively small scale, OLE design projects, it was simply not feasible from a business standpoint to pursue the training and design projects. The additional of Dr. Muntazar Monsur as an assistant professor and research partner of the OLE team is an exceptional opportunity to continue OLE Texas research and outreach programs. He has successfully submitted a USDA/NIFA joint proposal with the Natural Learning Initiative, where he was previously a research post-doc. He has also started a joint research proposal with NLI and ECHO (Early Childhood Outdoors) in Colorado. The two USDA grant proposal seeks to internalize the program's a Specialization Design Studio to recruit and train more students in a structured design studio rather than outside the classroom endeavor. Time requirements on the PI have been more than expected, however, additional funding from DSHS (Texas Department of State Health Service) will provide funding for a post-doctoral research assistant. Also, the PD, Dr. Charles Klein has officially retired, but will return to Texas Tech as a part time employee whose primary assignment will be the continuation of the OLE initiative. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? All design workshops, in addition to providing childcare centers with a masterplan for OLE improvements, are conducted as a training opportunity for local design professionals. Was an invited speaker for the Natural Learning Initiative 20th anniversary Design Institute, May, 2020, Raleigh NC Continued Behavior Mapping training and research visits to childcare sites in Texas (in progress). In collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services, began development of an alternative OLE! Texas training program for designers. In addition to a shorter, intensive two day seminar, options for a virtual training and design workshop scenario are being considered. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Participated in three state-wide leadership team meetings in Austin. (In addition to the two previously reported meetings) A total of seven (7) presentations to local, state, national and international conferences Began development of case study reports for the completed masterplans of childcare centers for inclusion in the OLE! Texas section of the coalition's website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Conduct a minimum of two (2) additional design workshops for childcare centers in the Lubbock region Continued technical assistance for childcare centers as they implement their OLE plans Open house and workshop training at Covenant Child Development Center showcasing phase one and two of their OLE implementation. Continued participation in TTU Obesity Research Cluster Grant applications to the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Grant application to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas' Healthy Kids, Healthy Families Grant Program Continued collaboration and sharing of resources with the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) in North Carolina, and Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) program in Colorado. Continued development and content for the TTU Center for Natural Learning web site Presentations to national design organizations including ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects, and EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) and local organization including TNLA (Texas Nursery and Landscape Association) Expanding behavior mapping research at existing centers in Texas. Incorporate the OLE! Texas initiative as a multidisciplinary Specialization Design Studio for landscape architecture and early childhood students.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: Outreach Participated in three state-wide leadership team meetings in Austin. (In addition to the two meeting previously reported) Completed development of the criteria for OLE! Texas Certified Designer designation, and in the process of confirming qualifications of individual designers for inclusion in the network listing on the program's web site. Developing curriculum for designer training at design workshops throughout the state. and Facilitated and completed design workshops for six (6) additional childcare centers. (Two additional workshops that were scheduled during the reporting period are on hold due to COVID-19 protocols concerning travel and large meetings) (In addition to the previously reported design workshop) Made presentations to 5 international and national, peer reviewed conferences (In addition to 2 presentations reported previously) Made presentations to 3 state and local continuing education workshops. (In addition to 3 previously reported presentations) Posted 6 informational articles and videos on the Texas Tech University Website promoting the OLE concept. https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2016/08/ole https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/news/posts/2018/06/charles-klein-decrease-childhood-obesity-rates.php https://www.depts.ttu.edu/agriculturalsciences/news/posts/2016/08/naturalized-outdoor-learning-environments-in-childcare-centers-in-spotlight.php https://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/outreach-engagement/downloads/ttu-outreach-book-lr.pdf (Page 13) https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2018/06/childhood-obesity https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2019/10/Stories/landscape-architecture-class-creates-recycled-material-playscapes-CDRC Continued to provide support and technical assistance to childcare centers with the implementation of their OLE Texas masterplans that were developed during the design workshops Completed 5 masterplan documents (drawings and action plans) that are a fomilization of the schematic plans created in the design workshops. Goal 2: Education Provided support for nine (9) graduate student research assistants Recruited Dr. Muntazar Monsur, a post doctorate researcher at the Natural Learning Initiative to an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Landscape Architecture Incorporated OLE concepts and behavior mapping techniques into an undergraduate design course in Landscape Architecture.Efforts were reported on the TTU web site as noted above: https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2019/10/Stories/landscape-architecture-class-creates-recycled-material-playscapes-CDRC Three (3) graduate students completed the Natural Learning Initiative's online certificate course "Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments" for early childhood educators. (In addition to three (3) students reported previously (In addition to the 2 previously reported landscape architecture and Environmental design students and faculty who completed a similar course for designers during the previous reporting period) Continued development of a training module for childcare teachers on the use of the Outdoor learning Environment (in progress). Conducted Behavior Mapping training for approximately eleven (11) graduate and undergraduate design students Incorporated behavior mapping training into course curriculum for undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture students. Goal 3: Research Continued white paper(s) for sabbatical visits to ten (10) sites in Atlanta, North Carolina, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Cincinnati, as well as three (3) sites in Adelaide, South Australia. Conducted Behavior Mapping research visits to three (3) childcare sites in Texas. Additional sites are scheduled to begin after COVID-19 travel and research related restrictions are lifted. Began Case Study Investigation with the Landscape Architecture Foundation's Landscape Performance program for the Will Smith Zoo School, San Antonio, TX, an OLE childcare site, with Rialto Studios PD's and Co-Pd's served on four (4) dissertation committees for which OLE related research was completed. Made two (2) applications to charitable foundations for continued support (unsuccessful) Resubmitted two previously denied USDA grant programs (Higher Education Challenge Grant and Hispanic Serving Institute Grant Program - Submitted USDA/NIFA Hispanic Serving Institution Conference Grant proposal (unsuccessful) Established Texas Tech Center for Natural Learning and began web page development to house and disseminate project masterplans, resource publications, designers' network and research publications (in progress) as well as other, similar research initiatives. Submitted successful USDA/NIFA Capacity Building Grant "Effectiveness of a Childcare Hands-On Gardening Component for Preventing Preschool Obesity in Different Climatic Zones and Demographic Areas" with the Natural Learning Initiative (Funded $300,000): Conducted semi-structured, qualitative research interviews of designers who had completed the NLI certificate course to gain their insight and opinions into the what the makeup of the OLE! Texas Certified Designer Network should be. Began manuscript of the research interviews.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C., Guerrero, L., Abbasi, S. Interior Design Educators Council, " Design Professionals as Leaders in Childhood Health and Well-being," Southwest Regional Conference, Waco (October, 2019).
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Klein, C. Gaines, K, Colwell, M. (2020) OLE! Texas Designer Guide. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Coalition for Natural Learning and Austin TX: Texas Department of State Health Services. ISBN: 978-1-7348412-0-6
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Gaines, K., Klein, C., Colwell, M., Abbasi, S. (2020) OLE! Texas inspectors Guide. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Coalition for Natural Learning and Austin TX: Texas Department of State Health Services. ISBN: 978-1-7348412-1-3
• Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Coalition for Natural Learning Web Site: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/coalition_for_natural_learning/Resources/OLE_Texas.php
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gaines, K. (Presenter & Author), Klein, C. (Presenter & Author), Colwell, M. (Presenter & Author), Guerrero, L. (Presenter & Author), Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Frisco, TX, "The OLE! Texas Initiative: Living the vision," State, peer-reviewed/refereed. (September 2019).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Klein, C., Gaines, K., Abassi, S., Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), Brooklyn, NY, "Parental/Teacher Preferences for Children's Outdoor Learning Environment," International, peer-reviewed/refereed, published in proceedings. (May 2019).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Klein, C., Gaines, K., Colwell, M., Texas American Society of Landscape Architects, Annual Conference and Expo, Irving, TX, "The OLE! Texas Initiative," State, peer-reviewed/refereed, published in proceedings. (April 2019).

Progress 04/01/18 to 03/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences include childcare providers, graduate and undergraduate students, and community stakeholders with an interest in addressing obesity and quality childcare. Childcare Providers: Twochildcare centers for which we facilitated OLE (Outdoor Learning Environment) design workshops (San Jacinta CC, 8/16/18 and Kids Kingdom, 11/9/18) Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program; Early Head Start Open House, 2/22/19 (approx. 25 people) Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program Early Connections for Lifelong Learning Conference, 2/23/19 (approx. 75 attendees) Two presentations to Texas Workforce Commission, Childcare Services to inform centers about the OLE! Texas initiative and to solicit applications for a design workshop, 8/8/18 (total of approx. 22 centers and 35 individuals present) Continued support and technical assistance for 3 childcare centers with the implementation of the masterplans that were developed prior to the start of this grant. Graduate and undergraduate students: 4 Graduate students supported with stipends 3 Additional graduate students involved in the program (primarily dissertation research projects) with funding from sources that made awards based on their work with the OLE! Texas initiative. 4 Undergraduate research assistants. Community Stakeholders: Met with Mayor Dan Pope to inform him of the program and to solicit letters of support for funding applications. Met with Scouting executives to inform and solicit volunteers for Eagle Scout projects at childcare centers. Met with local tree trimming company to solicit donations of material for stump seating, loose parts, "tree cookie" stepping stones and climbing logs. (Owner has since donated three truckloads of material to one childcare center) Established the Texas Tech Center for Natural Learning that will highlight faculty work and research, including OLE! Texas, and began web site development that will house resources and completed masterplans for community access. Changes/Problems:Recruiting landscape architecture graduate students to the first professional degree (MLA) program has been difficult. This is typical of a robust economy. Options are to recruit our own undergraduates as research assistants or as second professional degree graduate students. The two USDA grant proposal seeks to internalize the program's a specialty topics design studio to recruit and train more students in a structured design studio rather than outside the classroom endeavor. Time requirements on the PI have been more than expected, however, additional funding from DSHS (Texas Department of State Health Service) will provide relief from teaching in order to focus on the OLE! Texas Initiative What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Attended Natural Learning initiative Annual Design Institute, October 2018, Raleigh NC Attended Play Activation Network, ACT third annual Play Symposia; Play for a Vital and Sustainable City, in Canberra; November, 2018. The event is sponsored by the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra. Attended American Society of Landscape Architects national convention, Philadelphia, October, 2018 Began Behavior Mapping training and research visits to childcare sites in Texas (in progress). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Participated in two state-wide leadership team meetings in Austin. Two presentations to Texas Workforce Commission, Childcare Services to inform centers about the OLE! Texas initiative and to solicit applications for a design workshop, 8/8/18 (total of approx. 22 centers and 35 individuals present) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Conduct a minimum of two (2) additional design workshops for childcare centers in the Lubbock region Continued technical assistance for childcare centers as they implement their OLE plans Open house and workshop training at Covenant Child Development Center showcasing phase one and two of their OLE implementation. Continued participation in TTU Obesity Research Cluster Grant applications to two (2) USDA grant programs; Higher Education Challenge Grant and Hispanic Serving institutions Grant program. Grant application to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas' Healthy Kids, Healthy Families Grant Program Continued collaboration and sharing of resources with the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) in North Carolina, and Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) program in Colorado. Refinement of TTU Center for Natural Learning web site Presentations to national design organizations including ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects, and EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) and local organization including TNLA (Texas Nursery and Landscape Association) Expanding behavior mapping research at existing centers in Texas.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: Outreach Participated in two state-wide leadership team meetings in Austin. Developed criteria for OLE! Texas Designer designation Establishment of designer's network-in progress. Developing curriculum for designer training at design workshops throughout the state (in progress) Facilitated design workshop and completed the master plan for Kids kingdom Childcare Center in Lubbock, TX. Facilitated design workshop for San Jacinta Community College Childcare Center in Pasadena, TX. Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program; Early Head Start Open House, 2/22/19 (approx. 25 people) Presence (booth with flyers) at Texas Tech Human Development and Family Studies program Early Connections for Lifelong Learning Conference, 2/23/19 (approx. 75 attendees) Met with May Dan Pope to inform him of the program and to solicit letters of support for funding applications Met with Scouting executives to inform and solicit volunteers for Eagle Scout projects at childcare centers. Met with representatives from Midland Independent Scholl District about conducting two design workshops for two project they are developing. Goal 2: Education Provided support for three (3) graduate student research assistants and four (4) undergraduate student part-time assistants. Procured matching funds for graduate students from Texas Tech Graduate School. Two presentations to Texas Workforce Commission, Childcare Services to inform centers about the OLE! Texas initiative and to solicit applications for a design workshop, 8/8/18 (total of approx. 22 centers and 35 individuals present) Continued support and technical assistance for 3 childcare centers with the implementation of the masterplans that were developed prior to the start of this grant. Began training module for childcare teachers on the use of the Outdoor learning Environment (in progress). Attended Natural Learning initiative Annual Design Institute, Oct 2018, Raleigh NC Attended Play Activation Network, ACT third annual Play Symposia; Play for a Vital and Sustainable City, in Canberra. The event is sponsored by the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research in the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Canberra. Goal 3: Research Completed sabbatical visiting ten (10) sites in Atlanta, North Carolina, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Cincinnati, as well as three (3) sites in Adelaide, South Australia. Journal and white paper of findings in progress. Began Behavior Mapping training and research visits to childcare sites in Texas (in progress). Mentoring of PhD students (1-PhD committee chair, 1-PhD committee co-chair, and 1-PhD committee member) Three (3) faculty and three (3) students completed the Natural Learning initiative's online certificate course "Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments." Made two (2) applications to charitable foundations for continued support (unsuccessful) Identified two USDA grant programs for future applications (Higher Education Challenge Grant and Hispanic Serving Institute Grant Program - Applications completed May 2019) Attended research coordination meeting in Austin with representatives from the University of Texas and the Univ. of Texas School of Public Health. Established Texas Tech Center for Natural Learning and began web page development to house and disseminate project masterplans, resource publications, designers network and research publications (in progress)

Publications