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While climate change is all around us, and the projections are uniformly grim, there have never been so many local, national and global opportunities to build a sustainable future. gathers the results of a year-long exploration of the implications of climate change for young children.

The work began as a series of listening sessions that generated the ideas and perspectives in the Action Plan. 鈥淎s heartbreaking as those stories were, it鈥檚 also inspiring to hear the creative solutions and practical ideas that emerged,鈥� said Elizabeth Bechard, senior policy analyst at , during a hosted by Capita鈥檚 Ankita Chachra.

Are you searching for inspiration? Here are seven encouraging highlights from the Action Plan:

1. The pandemic showed us how resourceful we can be. On the November 7 Hunt Institute webinar marking the Action Plan鈥檚 release, Diana Rauner, president of and co-chair of the Early Years Climate Action Task Force, admitted that the planet is stressed and the solutions are underfunded but reminded participants that throughout history, partnerships arise during crises.

For example, the Action Plan describes how, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana-based nonprofit launched the Rebuild Child Care Collaborative, which pooled private funding for child care centers. In 2021, after Hurricane Ida, the Agenda and the jointly distributed over $720,000 to 382 child care centers and family child care providers.

The global Covid pandemic offered plentiful examples of communities banding together; in Louisiana, Agenda for Children facilitated case management and legal advice to help child care centers secure Paycheck Protection Program loans.

2. The child care workforce is finding its voice. , just over 1 million people work in child care in America (far more, if you count all the unpaid labor), and this workforce is dedicated to protecting our nation鈥檚 children. At a luncheon discussion exploring the Action Plan held by Capita and the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C., Melissa Rooker of the described child care workers as first responders, and the Action Plan spotlights , a California child care network with 13 locations that tracked the movements of children and families in the aftermath of the 2017 wildfires, linking them to emergency food and other resources.

鈥淒uring the climate-related disasters that we鈥檝e experienced over the past several years,鈥� North Bay鈥檚 Susan Gilmore said. 鈥淭he child care industry needs to be seen as essential, and like school districts, child care representatives should be included in the organizational structure of each county鈥檚 emergency operations center.鈥�

During the Hunt Institute webinar, Erica Phillips, executive director of the , said, 鈥淲hile our sector is incredibly diverse, we are here to be allies in the climate planning work.鈥�

3. The business community is engaged. The climate crisis that the experts have long predicted? It鈥檚 here. During the virtual launch, Angie Garling of the recalled a 106掳 F day in California鈥檚 Coachella Valley when the children were kept inside for their own safety.

As Antwanye Ford, president & CEO at Enlightened, Inc., and co-chair of the Early Years Climate Action Task Force, quipped at the Capita-Aspen luncheon, 鈥淟ong-term becomes now really fast.鈥�

The Action Plan singles out the Greater Seattle Child Care Business Coalition for recognizing the urgency; it supports child care providers by creating opportunities for them to learn about topics like employment law grants management. The coalition seeks greater investments from government and business and has amplified warnings about the impact of extreme heat.

Across the nation, the is incentivizing green energy solutions, and predict the private sector will undertake even more substantial climate investments of its own accord.

The Action Plan recommends the creation of climate-aware policies and programs for employees with young children, fostering partnerships between businesses and early years facilities to fund essential upgrades, as well as partnering with local communities to build climate-resilient green space and community infrastructure.

4. Government is taking action. While the climate dimensions of the Inflation Reduction Act have received more attention, it is far from the only effort worth noting. In a conversation with Capita鈥檚 Joe Waters, Rep. Jennifer McClellan of Virginia, outlined the benefits of the bipartisan , which would increase short-term child care access during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. (Climate change adversely impacts pregnancy health directly and indirectly.)

Politics also follows public opinion, and sentiment toward climate action is increasing: feel they have a 鈥渕oral obligation鈥� to make the world a better place by addressing climate change not only for their own children and grandchildren but for all children to come. Many state and local governments are recognizing that steps to protect the youngest residents from climate catastrophe are necessary and possible.

At the state level, Action Plan recommendations include the creation of climate leadership roles and breaking down silos through collaborative structures. For example, California鈥檚 prioritizes the installation of energy-efficient electric appliances and retrofitting for disaster mitigation. At the local level, the Action Plan cites the work of and recommends 鈥渋ntegrating the perspectives of young children, their families and those who support them.鈥�

During the Hunt Institute webinar, Dr. Rauner demonstrated a line of questioning for conversations with local officials: 鈥淲hat if we looked at our development from the perspective of a smaller person?鈥�

5. Philanthropy is having an impact. U.S. foundations grant annually, and a of 188 foundation executives found that more than 60% are funding efforts to address climate change. (Still others are focused on equity, and during the Hunt Institute webinar, Elliot Haspel, senior fellow at Capita 鈥� and Early Learning Nation columnist 鈥� memorably referred to climate change as an inequity multiplier.)

As impressive as these figures are, there is clearly room to expand these investments and to target them toward efforts that benefit young children and families. The Action Plan鈥檚 recommendations for the philanthropic sector include funding work that connects early years and climate change; developing a regular national scorecard on the state of young children and climate change; and supporting communities in efforts that promote healthy development for young children in a changing climate.

6. Children are vulnerable, but they鈥檙e also resilient. The word “resilience” can be a double-edged sword, both complementing people from disinvested communities for their innate strengths and expecting them to bounce back from every hardship and disaster. The Action Plan uses the word 88 times over its 99 pages, referring to climate resilience as well as the children whose future depends on it.

At the Capita-Aspen luncheon, Robert Mayer, KABOOM鈥檚 associate director for Public Policy and Advocacy, made the comment that the most subsequent speakers quoted: 鈥淐hildren will be as adaptive as society allows them to be.鈥�

7. The Action Plan is just the start. As Capita and its partner organizations communicate the Plan鈥檚 findings and recommendations, the hope is that the dialogue will proliferate wherever decision makers, advocates and activists gather to envision the future 鈥� taking inspiration from those with lived experience. 鈥淧eople from disadvantaged communities are already showing the way,鈥� Haspel said at the Capita-Aspen luncheon.

There鈥檚 also a lot to learn about adaptation from indigenous communities. During the virtual launch, Alicia Mousseau, vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, noted, 鈥淭ribal communities have always adapted to things that we鈥檝e never experienced before in our history.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 社区黑料. Learn more here.