OUR MISSION
The Environmental Science Center promotes environmental stewardship, sustainability, and academic achievement through science based education. Serving South King County since 2000.
AGENCY OVERVIEW
Founded in 2000, the Environmental Science Center is a not-for-profit organization offering quality, experiential environmental education programs at our local beaches, streams, forests, and classrooms in South King County. ESC promotes environmental stewardship to thousands of people through collaborations with a growing number of school districts and community-based organizations as well as speaking engagements, festivals, and workshops. During the past twelve years, ESC has steadily grown the number of programs it offers, the diversity of students it serves, and the number of hours of science-based environmental education it provides.
Because ESC believes it is important to form values that foster environmental stewardship and conservation early, we focus much of our programming on elementary school-age children. Currently, 80% of our programs serve children in grades K-6. Typically, ESC programs consist of one hour of classroom instruction followed by a two hour field trip to sites like Seahurst Park, Normandy Park Cove or Cecil Moses State Park. During the inquiry-based field portion of the program, students learn to analyze what they are seeing, develop a deeper understanding of ecological systems, see how environmental quality is impacted by human decisions, and reach informed conclusions about how to make responsible choices as citizens.
In addition to classroom-based instruction and field trips, we offer pre-school and after school programs, summer programs, and a marine science summer camp. ESC also engages families through a wide variety of outdoor programs, including lectures, environmental walks, and field trips that use parents as chaperones.