The Lawson Foundation.
TNC was the evaluator for Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy, which funded eight different projects across Canada that were designed to build the capacity of early childhood educators to support outdoor play. Through the Strategy, we led or supported evaluations of several different post-secondary courses as well as many different types of virtual and in-person professional development programs for ECEs and forest school leaders. As part of this work, we led focus groups with instructors, interviewed trainees, and observed training sessions. We also reviewed data from student assessments and surveys. Our readable, public facing final report explored the ways in which these programs helped educators to build shared values and foster strong collaborative working relationships. Our team was also responsible for facilitating reflective discussions at regular cohort meetings.