Outdoor nature-based play in early learning and childcare centres: Identifying the determinants of implementation using causal loop diagrams and social network analysis.

Nature-based play benefits children's health and development. However, the delivery of this in early learning and childcare centres (ELC) is extremely diverse, and implementation is not well understood. We applied a systems science perspective to understand the factors crucial to implementing nature-based outdoor play in ELC settings. Through Group Model Building workshops with 20 participants in managerial and practitioner roles, crucial factors were appraised using Causal Loops Diagrams. Twelve thematic causal loops emerged. Network analysis was employed to analyse the diagram. Exponential Random graph models explained the diagram construction process. Centrality measures alongside conditional uniform tests identified six leverage factors: use of outdoor space, culture of being outdoors, ELC culture of outdoor play, perceived child safety and enjoyment, educator confidence and educator agency. This research brings novel and practically relevant evidence about the important factors, and interdependencies, involved in the implementation of outdoor play practice within ELC settings.

A Low-Cost Method for Understanding How Nature-Based Early Learning and Childcare Impacts Children's Health and Wellbeing.

Nature-based play and learning provision is becoming increasingly popular across the early learning and childcare (ELC) sector in Scotland. However, there remains a lack of understanding of how the program is expected to function. This has implications for program learning and may affect wider rollout of the program. Secondary data analysis of parent interviews (n = 22) and observations (n = 7) in Scottish ELC settings, and review of internationally published studies (n = 33) were triangulated to develop a program theory using the Theory of Change approach. This approach makes a program's underlying assumptions explicit by systematically demonstrating the relationship between each component: inputs, activities, outcomes, impact, and the contexts of the program. Findings suggested that location of outdoor nature space, affordances, availability of trained practitioners, and transport to location lead to activities such as free play, educator-led activities, and interactions with nature, resulting in longer durations of physical activity, interactions with peers and educators, and increased engagement with the natural environment. These activities are vital for supporting children's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Our results demonstrate the value of using secondary data analysis to improve our understanding of the underlying theory of nature-based ELC which can support future evaluation designs. These findings will be of interest to program evaluators, researchers, practitioners, and funders, who find themselves with limited resources and want to better understand their program before investing in an evaluation. We encourage researchers and evaluators in the field of early years and outdoor play in other countries to refine this logic model in their own context-specific setting.

Evaluating Outdoor Nature-Based Early Learning and Childcare Provision for Children Aged 3 Years: Protocol of a Feasibility and Pilot Quasi-Experimental Design.

Systematic reviews have demonstrated the scarcity of well-designed evaluations investigating outdoor nature-based play and learning provision for children in the early learning and childcare (ELC) sector among global Western countries. This study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of the programme and the evaluation design of outdoor nature-based play and learning provision across urban ELC settings in a Scottish metropolitan city. Six ELC settings with different outdoor nature-based play delivery models will be recruited. One trial design will be tested: a quasi-experimental comparison of children attending three different models of outdoor play and learning provision. Measures will be assessed at baseline and five weeks later. Key feasibility questions include: recruitment and retention of ELC settings and children; suitability of statistical matching based on propensity score; completeness of outcome measures. Process evaluation will assess the acceptability of trial design methods and provision of outdoor nature-based play among ELC educators. These questions will be assessed against pre-defined progression criteria. This feasibility study will inform a powered effectiveness evaluation and support policy making and service delivery in the Scottish ELC sector.