Environmental Education

In 2021, Country Day School became the first Early Childhood GreenSchool Program in the United States as certified by Project Learning Tree (PLT).

PLT’s GreenSchool certification recognizes the efforts of teachers and students to make their school a greener and healthier place. The Country Day School has taken significant steps to enhance and fully utilize its school grounds, reduce energy use, conserve water, recycle, reduce waste, and improve air quality, among other projects. Certification also recognizes the school’s strong commitment to taking students outdoors to learn and engage in environmental and sustainability education.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, CDS greatly increased outdoor classroom instruction and use of the school’s varied outdoor spaces. Under the guidance of PLT, enhanced environmental education was incorporated into school program curriculums for 2020-2021 and the following school years.

As children grow and learn at Country Day School they will have cycled through all the topics in depth.

Each age level program at Country Day School focuses on a part of the environmental education curriculum throughout the school year. By the time CDS students reach kindergarten, they will have been exposed to all areas in depth.

• Twos focus on Waste & Recycling
• Threes focus on Water
• Fours focus on School Site & Energy
• Kindergarten focus on Environmental Quality