Orange County
"On Kids Ocean Day, students feel the magic of the sand beneath their feet, the salty mist in the air, and the power within themselves to make waves of change. It’s a day of discovery, action, celebration, and community, where they learn that they can protect what they love and that we are more powerful together."
- Dyana Peña, Associate Director of Programs at Orange County Coastkeeper
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Orange County Team
Orange County Coastkeeper is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters while promoting watershed resilience throughout our region. We achieve this mission through research, restoration, advocacy, enforcement, and education. As part of our commitment to the community, we have provided hands-on environmental education to K-12 schools for over 15 years, helping to address gaps in quality STEM education in Orange County, CA. Our flagship WHALES (Watershed Heroes: Actions Linking Education to Stewardship), Kids Care, and Kids Ocean Day programs serve more than 6,500 students annually, offering engaging, place-based learning opportunities that connect students with their local environment. Our goal for Kids Ocean Day is to allow students from schools that face historic barriers to access within our OC community to connect with the environment in order to learn the importance of preserving it.
Each year, the program engages more than 1,000 3rd through 5th-grade students from Title I schools in hands-on environmental education, with approximately 15% of participants experiencing their first-ever visit to the beach. Through classroom assemblies and interactive lessons, students learn that they’re directly connected to the ocean through the water that flows through our watershed. Students also learn how pollution impacts local ecosystems, focusing on topics such as marine debris, microplastics, water resources, and watersheds. Building on the foundation created by our education programs, we are intentionally expanding our reach beyond Title I students to engage youth and community members of differing abilities because everyone, regardless of ability, deserves meaningful and joyful outdoor experiences. Please visit our website (www.coastkeeper.org) to learn more about these efforts!
