Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Boulder Open Space expands school, family programs; outreach team reports 10,500 participants in 2024
Summary
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks staff told trustees they reached about 10,500 youth and families in 2024 through school field trips, assemblies and family programs and outlined partnerships that support access for underrepresented communities.
Curry Rosado, education and outreach manager with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), told the board on Dec. 11 that the department’s education and outreach team reached roughly 10,500 youth and families in 2024 through 219 programs and events, including field trips, classroom visits and community offerings.
Rosado said OSMP’s programming focuses on a preschool–12 continuum in partnership with Boulder Valley School District (BVSD), community groups and nonprofit partners to “connect youth to nature” and build youth stewards. “Children need nature, nature needs children and frequent experiences playing and learning in nature and role models who care for nature help create nature champions,” Rosado said.
The presentation highlighted several school-focused programs. OSMP said its schools program served about 5,000 students through 31 programs this year, reaching about 20 BVSD schools. Second-grade wetlands field trips at Sombrero Marsh — run in partnership with Thorne Nature Experience and BVSD — have run for two decades and have involved tens of thousands of students, Rosado said. Third-grade wildlife education, led by volunteer naturalists, reached more than 1,000 students across 11 elementary schools.
Rosado and partners described an array of other offerings: assemblies with community artists Jeff and Paige; middle-school pilot trips in partnership with NCAR focused on climate and fire; a high-school Natural Careers Pathway at Sombrero Marsh; family programs such as story-time hikes and the Little Explorers six-week series; and stewardship and internship opportunities including Junior Ranger summers and teen farm internships. Rosado said partnerships with the Boulder Open Space Conservancy (BOSC) helped provide bus transportation and materials to support field trip access.
Claudia Perez, family resident services coordinator with Boulder Housing Partners, spoke to the board about the Little Explorers program. “We really appreciate the commitment and the inclusive curriculum that promotes a strong sense of belonging and community in Boulder Housing Partners,” Perez said, adding the program engaged 45 people from nine families this fall.
Dr. Geeta Carroll, a Boulder Valley School District representative, described district-level sustainability and curriculum goals that overlap with OSMP work, including a new Seal of Climate Literacy that allows graduating seniors to demonstrate climate literacy. Carroll said BVSD has designated Heatherwood Elementary as an ESTEAM (environmental STEAM) school and that OSMP is collaborating on project-based learning tied to the district’s programs.
Trustees asked about outreach beyond BVSD and how OSMP measures its reach. Rosado said the department runs programs with independent and homeschool groups and partners with community organizations — for example, Boulder Housing Partners and Camp Indigo— to reach youth not enrolled in BVSD. She also said the education team has begun conducting evaluations including focus groups and surveys to gauge program relevance and outcomes.
The board praised the scope of the work and encouraged continued data collection. Trustee Brady asked about trend lines and goals; Rosado said the department tracks multiple data points and plans to share trends and evaluation results in future briefings.
Trustees and staff also noted that volunteers are central to the programs: volunteer naturalists, mentors and BOSC-funded bus support extend OSMP’s reach. Rosado said the department aims to continue scaling partnerships to broaden equitable access to nature-based education.
Looking ahead, Rosado said OSMP will continue school partnerships, refine evaluation tools, grow seed funding and external grant support for bus transportation, and pursue pilots such as the NCAR middle-school climate field trip.
For more information, Rosado directed trustees to OSMP’s education materials and thanked partners including BVSD, BOSC, Thorne Nature Experience and community organizations.
