It is through educators’

Annie Moses stories that I first realized

YC Editor in Chief what a changing climate means for early childhood education. I heard a center director describe how difficult the past few years have been because of increased flooding. Another administrator talked about grappling with whether to stay open on a day when the air was filled with smoke from wildfires. Still a third reflected on how to answer children’ s questions about the“ orange sky.”

Such stories highlight the operational and financial issues spurred by the climate as well as young children’ s questions and concerns. These educators had not expected to deal with climate impacts in their daily work with children and families. But increasingly, they have had to reflect on how to respond with intention— and what supports they need to do so.

This issue of Young Children starts with an overview of climate impacts on programs and the policies needed as programs educate young children. The cluster then explores the issues raised by educators, administrators, and researchers and the solutions they are implementing. Grounded in the literature, authors describe how climate change affects educators, children, and programs in their local contexts; how educators integrate strategies, activities, and materials related to their surrounding in developmentally appropriate ways; and how policies and initiatives can support healthy environments for all. Woven throughout are reflections by practitioners, who share their stories of challenges, action, and hope.

The cluster begins with“ Building Child Care Resiliency in the Face of a Changing Climate,” in which NAEYC and the Low Income Investment Fund outline a multifaceted approach for policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure birth-to-5 programs can remain operational and safe for all educators and children.

As a former director, Lisa M. Beck reflects on one program’ s journey toward environmentally sustainable choices and actions in“ How One School Nurtures Environmental Stewardship.” She also shares program policy considerations that directors face as weather-related changes impact operations.

In“ Connection, Curiosity, and Care: An E-STEM Approach to Climate Change Education in Early Childhood,” Victoria Carr, Julie Athman Ernst, and Sheila Williams Ridge present an approach to environment, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that incorporates open-ended and intentional dialogue to respond to children’ s observations about the reduced air quality and unseasonably warm weather they were experiencing firsthand.

Accompanying this is“ Nature-Based Early Childhood Education: Examining Issues of Equity,” by Monica Wiedel-Lubinski. This is an excerpt from the book recently published by NAEYC, Nature-Based Early Childhood Education, in which the author discusses the challenges to equitable nature-based learning and ways of honoring children and families.

In“‘ But What About the Butterflies?’ Empowering Children to Address Climate Change... One Caterpillar at a Time,” Rina Zampieron and Jennifer Feller reflect on their experiences integrating content and activities about black swallow-wort, a climate-induced invasive species in their area, into their curriculum.

4 Young Children

Winter 2025