Houston Chronicle Details GRO1000 Efforts Encouraging Children to Explore the Outdoors
GRO1000 Initiative
For several years, preschoolers at the Gabriela Mistral Center for Early Childhood have been forced to play in parking lots, which prompted Principal Rosalina Ibarra to seek alternative funding options for an outdoor play area.
"That is their world," Principal Ibarra explained regarding a lack of safe playgrounds, "there are no parks within a two-mile radius." As narrated in The Houston Chronicle, the Scotts Miracle-Gro GRO1000 program provided the Gabriela Mistral Center with a grant to build a playground and outdoor classroom, which includes a pond and gardens to grow vegetables and to attract wildlife.
Brenda Ortiz, a parent of a preschooler at the Center, has witnessed first-hand these learning opportunities, "before my son used to tell me he played, but now they're actually exploring." To read the full story, please click here.