Context
Spending time in nature is incredibly beneficial to the mental, physical, and emotional health of children. Exposing youth to natural spaces can reduce stress levels, increase physical activity, encourage exploration, and create an appreciation and desire to protect the future of our environment.
In Baltimore, we have vibrant green spaces encompassing local parks, trails, forests, farms, streams, waterfronts, and more (click here for a map of our amazing city parks and recreational assets). Baltimore is also home to Gwynns Falls Leakin Park, the third largest urban forested park in the United States.
Despite all these resources, too many of our children have little to no access to these nature spaces and are unable to reap the benefits of being outdoors. As a result, the City of Baltimore is undertaking a multi-sector, cross-agency initiative to eliminate these access barriers and connect our children to nature.
Baltimore Connecting Children to Nature (BCCN) Initiative
In 2018, Baltimore was selected by the National League of Cities (NLC) and Children & Nature Network (C&NN) to join a cohort of 18 cities participating in the Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative. The national initiative is focused on increasing equitable access to nature for all children, and aims to create systems-level change by activating City leadership and leveraging interagency and cross-sector partnerships.
BCCN is led by a Core Team with representatives from the Baltimore Office of Sustainability (BOS), the Baltimore City Recreation & Parks Department (BCRP), Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), Temple X Schools, and Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors (InDiGo).
Now guided by its 3-year strategic plan, Baltimore Connecting Children to Nature (BCCN) is focused on advancing equitable access to nature through coordinated, community-driven action. This strategic plan, developed in 2025 in collaboration with core team members, the National Aquarium, and with support from NLD Strategic Consulting, was informed by resident engagement and made possible through a seed grant from the Children & Nature Network.
BCCN’s mission is to serve as a citywide coalition and community hub that champions and advances equitable access to safe, joyful outdoor experiences for all children. Its vision is an engaged Baltimore community where every child is safe in, inspired by, and connected to nature through accessible, welcoming, and inclusive green spaces.
Over the next three years, BCCN aims to be recognized as a leading hub for children’s access to nature, influence the integration of Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBOR) principles across the city, and strengthen collaboration to secure programmatic funding and advance policy change.
To achieve this impact, BCCN is organized around three core pillars:
- Amplification: Increasing public and cross-sector awareness of programs and organizations, expanding the network, and developing data and storytelling that deepen shared responsibility for connecting children to nature.
- Advocacy: Advancing a legislative agenda, strengthening connections to champions, elevating community-informed needs, and supporting systems that embed COBOR into policy and practice.
- Collaboration: Coordinating efforts across Baltimore’s 14 districts to support sustainable green space stewardship, facilitating joint fundraising and grant opportunities, and building a strong membership structure for collective decision-making.
Each pillar is supported by a dedicated committee that meets monthly to implement strategies and drive progress toward BCCN’s shared goals.
BCCN Core Team
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Department
Baltimore Office of Sustainability
InDiGo: Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors
Partnerships
To implement our strategies, BCCN has formed deep relationships with local public and private partners outside of our Core Team representatives. We have worked closely with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD), the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success (MOCFS), Great Kids Farm, the Black Mental Health Alliance (BMHA), BLISS Meadows and other urban farms, and local environmental education groups to name only a few.
The BCCN team is looking to expand our network of partners. If you are interested in getting involved with the Baltimore Connecting Children to Nature effort, please contact Ebone Smith at ebone.smith@baltimorecity.gov.