Children's Nature Academy Collaborations

UWEC Children's Nature Academy works closely with many organizations to create collaborations. Additional collaborations have been established within various departments at the university. Volunteers, university student observers, student teachers, and practicum students as well as personnel from the partnering agencies are seen at the Academy at various times throughout the year. Staff is always present when these visitors are with children. Exceptions occur to this only with signed and written permission from a parent or guardian for a specific activity.

• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) - a federal program that provides healthy meals and snacks to children receiving day care. 
• EC4T Eau Claire for Tomorrow
• Eclipse Program
• Bluebird Experience Project
• UWEC
• UWEC Autism Program

Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek Nature Reserve is located just outside Eau Claire and is known for its diverse natural habitats. Located on 400 acres of natural beauty, the reserve has abundant resources to offer children and families. Beaver Creek's naturalists have developed a nature immersion curriculum which the Children's Nature Academy utilizes within their program. As a collaborative partner who shares a common mission with our program we appreciate their help and support as we establish ongoing programming.

To learn more about Beaver Creek Reserve, visit their website at www.beavercreekreserve.org

Bluebird Experience

The Bluebird Experience Project

Thanks to the Bluebird Experience Project, the UW-EC Children's Nature Academy is proud to host a bluebird trail on the Priory grounds. The trail offers children the opportunity to become "citizen scientists" as they tend to the care and monitoring of the bluebird houses. The program tracks data to send to Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The project teaches children that they can make a difference in helping the environment as they strive toward preserving the habitats of songbirds in Wisconsin

To learn more about the Bluebird Experience Project, visit their website at www.bluebirdexperience.com

Eclipse

Eclipse, an AmeriCorps program, recruits UWEC students to work with some of the children in the Program. Eclipse's goal is to meet the needs of young children by providing partner sites with enthusiastic and well-trained young adults to assist in our classrooms. They provide children with one on one attention to build on the development of language, literacy, and social skills. Each school year the UW-Eau Claire Children's Nature Academy partners with UWEC Eclipse to serve children who qualify for the program.

EC4T Eau Claire for Tomorrow (EC4T)

The Program is a contracted Eau Claire for Tomorrow (EC4T) partner provider with the Eau Claire Area School District's 4-year-old kindergarten program. Children enrolled must be 4 on or before September 1st. They must reside in the school district's boundaries and meet minimum hour requirements to be eligible to participate. We continue to place first priority on children of university students, faculty, and staff and then children from the community.

The Academy registers those children who want 4K with extended care. The school district registers those children who want only 4K after the deadline date for priority enrollments. If a child resides in another Wisconsin school district that provides four year old kindergarten, families may apply for open enrollment before the February deadline of the preceding school year with their home school district. Please contact your home school district for their policy and procedures.

To learn more about the early learning programs offered through the Eau Claire Area School District please visit their website at http://www.ecasd.us/Prairie-Ridge-Early-Learning/Home