Feds provide $500K for research in Sudbury into outdoor daycare

The federal government said Tuesday it is funding research into children attending daycare in an outdoor environment.

While the children spend some time indoors, the program is focused on developing learning experiences outside.

Officials said Tuesday initiative said it's a three-year research project and conclusions will be shared with daycares across the country.

Karina Gould, federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced more than $500,000 for the Carrefour francophone de Sudbury Forest Preschool Project.

"We know that (ages) 0-4 are the most important for brain development for emotional and cognitive skills," Gould said Monday in Sudbury.

"Making sure that we are setting out kids up for success is a really important part of the $27 billion national early learning and childhood initiative that we have launched as a federal government."

Carrefour francophone de Sudbury, a daycare provider in the city, is partnering with College Boreal to study the impacts and benefits of outdoor daycare on children ages 1-5 and early childhood educators.

"There is something very obvious (to) being in the forest and playing outside," said Stephane Gauthier, the executive director of Carrefour Francophone de Sudbury.

"Anyone who was a child that played outside just loves it. So bringing the program outside is obvious."