‘What built the cowboys’: Alief pre-k center makes native Houston wildlife a teaching tool

PBK’s Melissa Turnbaugh spoke with the Houston Chronicle about Alief ISD’s new Jefferson Early Learning Center. The design aims to teach children about the region’s natural landscape before urbanization while also addressing urban flooding issues in the area. By engaging the students in hands-on experiences, the program seeks to foster a greater appreciation for nature and sustainable practices. 

“Our goal from the inception was that we’re connecting kids to nature. Even if they’re in the building, there’s physical nature with windows looking out, there’s natural materials in the construction, and even in the internal courtyards we mimicked the highlands and lowlands of Texas. It’s this constant foundation of where they come from,” Melissa Turnbaugh. 

Read more in the Houston Chronicle.