Oct 13

Oct 13 Parents of 3 and 4 year old Children In The Boston Area Needed For Survey About Benefits and Barriers to Nature Play For Young Children

My name is Becky DelVecchio and I am currently in the dissertation phase of my doctoral program in Early Care and Education at UMass Boston. My research project is about nature play for young children.

Through this research project, I hope to better understand how caregivers feel about nature play. For this study, nature play is defined as play that happens in or with nature. For example, your child may play in the backyard, collect sticks and help water the garden. Or, your child may splash in puddles on the sidewalk after a rain storm. Or, your child may pick dandelions as they find them in their daily lives. Your child may help care for a family pet, like a goldfish or guinea pig. These are all ways (and there are a lot more!) ways your child might be interacting with nature. I want to know what you think about this play.

Your voice, and your child’s voice is important. You are the expert on your child, and your family. I hope you will share your thoughts about nature play by completing this online survey. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete If you choose to complete the survey, you may also be selected for an optional interview. If you are interviewed, you will receive a $40.00 Amazon gift card will be sent to your email address as a token of appreciation. Click this link to complete the survey- https://umassboston.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MlAdHTUApeipql

Becky DelVecchio

Becky DelVecchio is a doctoral student and research assistant at UMass Boston pursuing a Ph.D. in Early Education and Care. She has been teaching young children and adults for over 20 years. She began her teaching career in 1997 with a diverse group of children and families in Head Start Programs in Dover and Rochester, New Hampshire. Later, she served as a Preschool Special Educator and Case Manager in Barrington, New Hampshire and then as Lead Teacher and Educational Director at the Wellesley College Child Study Center, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. She completed her undergraduate degree at Granite State College and earned a Master's Degree in Education from Lesley University in 2004, when she began teaching at Great Bay Community College. Since then she has earned a Post-Master’s Certificate in Research, Policy and Practice in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her research interests include the benefits to free play in nature for young children and their families, the barriers to such play, and ways to combat these barriers.