Empathy in Nature Project Inc.

“An electronic copy is provided to the executive director, the board president and the board treasurer for review and approval. After providing written approval to the cpa/tax preparer, the forms are electronically filed. Paper copies as well as the final electronic copy are provided for archives.”

“Depending on the employee's position and classification, the empathy in nature project endeavors to review performance annually. However, a positive performance evaluation does not guarantee an increase in salary, a promotion or continued employment. Compensation increases and the terms and conditions of employment, including job assignments, transfers, promotions, and demotions, are determined by and at the discretion of management.”

“Governing documents are made available to the public upon requests”

“Empathy in nature project, inc. Was established (i) to educate pre-school age children for the purpose of improving and developing their capabilities using inclusive and accessible methods involving social-emotional and outdoor-based education; (ii) to develop new models of pre-school education involving social-emotional and outdoor-based education; (iii) to operate a pre-school with a regular faculty and curriculum with regularly enrolled students open to all members of the general public.”

“In 2022 empathy in nature created the grow outside program, which works with local under-resourced schools to transform their learning environment into a natural playground. Children go from playing on hot asphalt lots with no shade, to living breathing learning spaces, ideal for social and emotional growth, steam learning opportunities, and developmentally appropriate activities to improve physical and mental health. This program includes a process that starts with inclusive community planning, bringing together stakeholders in the school and surrounding area to envision the space, to share their challenges, experiences, and visions of what would serve the children, teachers, and families best. Following this process, empathy in nature holds different events including a community volunteer day, a children's art day, and a first day of play event to ensure that it is community-embedded throughout. Ein has developed a curriculum that includes a 6-part storybook series, accompanying field guides, and individualized field guides that support nature-based, social and emotional learning. Teacher workshops are an integral part of the grow outside process, and are held in a very different way than most teacher training programs. Workshops are interactive, engaging, and involve moving away from the traditional, conference or classroom setting, with creative and welcoming invitations to play (provocations) that provide hands on inspiration for educators, instigating a paradigm shift towards a more child-centered, play-based approach to learning, where the environment serves as a teacher and teachers serve as guides. Demand and enthusiasm from the community has pulled the organization in the direction of grow outside, shifting priorities slightly from the original focus. After two years of working on partnerships and plans for a flagship preschool, the organization decided at the end of 2023 to make grow outside a priority, moving the flagship preschool to a longer-term organizational goal. The grow outside program has been so successful, that it has gotten the attention of a major research university, and in 2024, empathy in nature will be embarking on a study to show the importance of nature play in early childhood education.”

“Empathetic educators always an integral part of the empathy in nature mission, empathetic educators has developed into a program that brings together leading-edge educators and researchers in service of the under-resourced communities who have traditionally been underrepresented in these spaces. The barriers to this level of teacher training are high, between costs, schedules, and locations. Empathy in nature is bridging that gap and providing access to educators and caregivers by providing low or no-cost workshops and courses, providing transportation and/or bringing the workshops to areas that represent these communities, and making workshops and courses available at times that work for them. In 2023 empathy in nature partnered with uc san diego extension to run an a synchronous course that was free for partners of ein and provided university credit for their nature play course. Plans continue for expanding reach to teachers and caregivers in under-resourced communities.”

“Auto expense 0 89 0 bank charges & fees 0 283 0 contractors - grow outside 90,128 43,632 26,167 contractors - teacher trainin 197,165 0 0 dues and subscriptions 0 533 0 job supplies 3,642 0 0 learning material 345 0 0 nature playground 618 0 0 publishing 588 0 0 shipping 0 111 0 specific event expense 0 0 9 staff development 0 25 0 total 292,486 44,673 26,176”