Environmental Health Education
Milwaukee’s south side includes some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city with some of the least access to green spaces. Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers’ Department of Environmental Health & Community Wellness seeks to leverage the protective effects of nature by offering environmental health learning opportunities for children and families throughout the year that are free from linguistic, cultural, and economic barriers.
Time spent outdoors has been proven to counteract the negative effects of physical and mental health problems like depression, anxiety, obesity, sleep problems and blurred vision. Children who spend time outside early on in life are more likely to develop a lifelong connection to nature, and nature provides lessons in resilience, confidence, protection from life’s stressful events, promotes physical activity, encourages happiness, lowers stress levels, and helps individuals of all ages feel more connected to the world around them.
It’s time to get your kids and families outside!
In our children’s programs, we spend our time learning about things like native plants and biodiversity and going canoeing, hiking, tree-planting, and more. Our family workshops are a chance for residents of all ages to get outside and learn together about the close relationship between our health and our environment. Check out our programs below to learn more!
Interested in learning more about our programs? We’ve recently compiled a toolkit to guide organizations through the process of replicating Nature Explorers. Check it out here!
Child and Adolescent Day Treatment Program (CADT)
Our Department of Environmental Health and Community Wellness has partnered with our Behavioral Health providers to offer Nature Explorers as part of the Child & Adolescent Day Treatment (CADT) program. Children in CADT participate in a half-day program that includes individual, group, and family therapy, art therapy, dance and movement, and more. The program is geared towards children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression/anxiety, behavioral problems, psychiatric issues related to experience of traumatic events, and more.
In this bilingual program, we work with children in CADT between the ages of 7 and 12 throughout their time in CADT. We spend time outside and follow a curriculum that meets Wisconsin standards for environmental literacy and sustainability. The program runs throughout the year, with nature-based activities on-site at our Layton Clinic and field trips to different green and blue spaces in Milwaukee. The program follows the same themes as our Summer Camp and Afterschool programs, with mindfulness and art activities integrated into nature-based programming.
To have your child evaluated prior to receiving day treatment or for more information about our Child & Adolescent Day Treatment program, please call (414) 290-4105. For more information about Nature Explorers, please contact Hannah Fox, Health Education Coordinator, at Hannah.Fox@sschc.org or (414) 897-5622.
Summer Camp
Our Nature Explorers Summer Camp is a completely free and bilingual program for all children between the ages of 7 and 12. We spend time outside and follow a curriculum that meets Wisconsin standards for environmental literacy and sustainability. The program runs between June and August, with nature-based activities at Pulaski Park and field trips to various green and blue spaces around the city. We partner with other local non-profits, such as Milwaukee Public Museum, for on-site lessons.
Nature Explorers is designed to allow children to learn and practice five social-emotional learning skills while allowing children to spend time in nature. These social-emotional skills are shown to improve the health and wellbeing of children who practice them; they have higher levels of confidence and empathy, develop more positive social behaviors and relationships, and do better in school.
In addition to providing children with the mental and social benefits of spending time outside, we also include many activities around art and mindfulness. Not only is art fun for children, it’s good for them too! Children who participate in art activities have fewer problematic behaviors at school, see improvements in their writing abilities, and show more compassion for others . The positive effects of practicing mindfulness are also well-known, from increased focus and attention, self-control , and academic performance to general wellbeing .
For more information about our Summer Camp or to register your child, please contact Hannah Fox, Health Education Coordinator, at Hannah.Fox@sschc.org or (414) 897-5622.
KK River Explorers Afterschool Program
Our KK River Explorers Afterschool program is a completely free and bilingual program for children in the 3rd through 5th grades at Lincoln Avenue Elementary and Zablocki Community School. We spend time outside and follow a curriculum that meets Wisconsin standards for environmental literacy and sustainability. KK River Explorers runs for 11 weeks in both the Spring and Fall, with nature-based activities on-site at school and on field trips to different green and blue spaces around Milwaukee. We also partner with other local non-profits, such as Milwaukee Riverkeeper, for on-site lessons. The program follows the same themes as our Summer Camp and Child and Adolescent Day Treatment Program.
For more information about our Afterschool program or to register your child, please contact Hannah Fox, Health Education Coordinator, at Hannah.Fox@sschc.org or (414) 897-5622.
“Excellent tour! We saw and heard and understood more about the rivers and their support people than on three other tours we’ve taken. It was interesting, well planned, easy to access and a nice group of people — from hosts to Riverkeeper to captain and his crew. We will volunteer to help our waterways and watershed now that we know how important it is to Milwaukee. Thank you.”
-Judy Haselhoef and Mike Goodman from a 2023 Family Workshop