Environmental Education For Kids In Seattle Faces Budget Threat

Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss and community advocates gathered at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park to call for full funding of Seattle Parks’ Environmental Education and Outdoor Learning Program. The long-running initiative, which provides students with immersive experiences in nature, is at risk of losing significant support due to impending budget cuts.

Strauss has proposed an amendment to the Every Child Ready Initiative that would restore full funding for the program, preserving its services for thousands of children across the city.

“A recent poll found that Seattleites say our access to the outdoors is one of the best parts about living in our city. It’s part of what sets Seattle apart,” Strauss said. “For a relatively small investment, we can save our city’s renowned environmental education program and ensure it’s around to serve our kids and families for years to come. Building strong connections between our kids and their natural environment is priceless. Our kids are worth it.”

The Environmental Education and Outdoor Learning Program has operated for decades, connecting children and families with Seattle’s parks, forests, and beaches to foster understanding and appreciation of the natural world. In 2024, the program and its 93 volunteers served 5,385 students from 65 schools—many of which were under-resourced Title I schools. Thousands more benefitted through guided nature walks and community partnerships.

Due to the city’s projected budget deficit, funding for the program is set to expire next year. Under the current version of the Every Child Ready Initiative, only 38 percent of its funding would be restored, leaving out crucial elements such as the program’s paid volunteer coordinator.

Strauss’s amendment would ensure the program remains fully funded and able to operate at historic levels.

“As a former stay-at-home dad, our family has benefited from the Environmental Education and Outdoor Learning Programs,” said Councilmember Bob Kettle, who represents District 7. “I know how important these programs are to kids and families all over the city, and it’s a good way to get our kids out into nature, to understand how beautiful and fragile the ecosystem around us is, and why it’s important to protect it. I’m glad to be working with Councilmember Strauss to find a solution to ensure this environmental education moves forward.”

Supporters emphasized that the program’s impact extends far beyond the classroom.

“Our work inspires children, sparks joy and wonder, supports budding scientists, teaches empathy and care for our green world and each other,” said Melanie Wienecke, a volunteer Urban Nature Guide. “I am so grateful to Councilmember Dan Strauss for his support of our city’s wonderful environmental education programs. His

amendment saves the amazing naturalists and their administrative and management support staff, preserving these programs for our city’s children, and maintaining the history and institutional knowledge built up over the thirty years that this program has served our city.”

The Select Committee on the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy is scheduled to vote on Strauss’s amendment on Thursday, June 12, at 9:30 a.m. If approved, the funding would be included in the Every Child Ready Initiative, which is set to appear on the November ballot.

Advocates argue that without this funding, the city risks losing a valuable tool for educating youth, supporting equitable access to outdoor learning, and cultivating future stewards of the environment.