San Francisco Children & Nature

Young girl building a tower out of rings of wood
Kids building with pieces of wood, sticks, and pine cones
Woman and child fishing
Woman and children playing with plants
Woman reading a book to kids outdoors
Woman holding a snake for kids to interact with
Young girl holding a small plant
Kids building a shelter out of sticks
Girl building with rings of wood

Research shows that children who experience meaningful connections to nature in their daily lives are healthier, happier, and more resilient. Yet today’s kids spend half the time playing outside than their parents did. Let’s change that! 


San Francisco Children & Nature is a citywide collaborative that works to address the disparities in nature access along socioeconomic and racial lines to ensure all children have the opportunity to play, learn and grow in the outdoors. 


Founded in 2017 as part of the national Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative, SF Children & Nature includes active participation from over 30 government agencies, non-profit institutions, and community-based organizations


Together, we make it easier for youth to have frequent and quality experiences in nature by:


  • expanding opportunities for nature connection in early education, schools, and neighborhoods

  • and advocating for places, programs, and policies that support our mission. 


We’re building a network of nature play advocates, teachers, parents, young people, planners, designers, managers, coaches, city officials, directors, and community leaders to work together to make lasting change.

For more information, visit www.sfchildrennature.org and sign up to receive SF Children & Nature News

For Rec & Park programs see our recreation programs


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