The Office of Environmental Education (OEE) in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) seeks to cultivate and support environmental citizenship: the awareness, understanding and appreciation of Florida's environment; and the capacity to think critically and participate constructively in its protection. The OEE’s core program includes outdoor experiential environmental education for middle school students, the annual Florida Green School Awards Program, and summer teacher professional development workshops.

The OEE under contract with Florida Charter Schools Program Office is providing free professional development opportunities to Florida charter Schools. These workshops provide teachers with interdisciplinary activities correlated to state/common core standards and can also be used to enhance their STEM programming.

DEP is also accepting direct requests for workshops from Principals or Directors of Florida’s charter schools that are willing to host a PD course on their campus.

Are you interested in FREE Professional Development Trainings for your teachers?

To schedule a workshop for your charter school, please contact:

Jackie Zimmerman (Jacquelyn.A.Zimmerman@dep.state.fl.us)
Office of Environmental Education/Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Phone: (850) 245-2145

The free nationally-validated courses that DEP can offer to interested charter schools include:

Project WET: (Water Education for Teachers) activities assist in teaching Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), Sunshine State Standards and Common Core State Standards. Project WET engages students in inquiry based activities that relate to the water resources students know: the bath, the ocean, the creek behind their house. It then educates while it entertains, carrying a message of water resource education and reinforcing classroom concepts being taught. Project WET activities exist for every subject at every grade level and can be integrated into the existing curricula of a school, museum, university pre-service class or community organization. The Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide, for preK-12th grade, is a collection of 96 innovative, water-related activities that are hands-on, easy to use and fun. Project WET activities incorporate a variety of formats, such as large- and small-group learning, whole-body activities, laboratory investigations, discussion of local and global topics, and involvement in community service projects. Since 1984, Project WET, an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has dedicated itself to the mission of reaching children, parents, teachers and community members of the world with water education. http://www.projectwet.org/.

Project Learning Tree (PLT): is an award-winning, interdisciplinary, environmental education program for students in pre-K-12th grades. PLT uses trees and forests as the context to help young people gain an awareness and knowledge of natural and built environments. PLT stimulates students' critical and creative thinking; develop students' ability to make informed decisions on environmental issues; and instills a commitment of responsible action on behalf of the environment. During the workshops, participants receive the PLT PreK - 8 Activity Guide or Secondary Module and experience first-hand the fun, hands-on, easy-to-use activities. Participants may receive additional PLT materials depending on the theme of the workshop. PLT can be used in both rural and urban environments, whether there is a forest or a single tree, is correlated to the Sunshine State Standards, teaches students how to think, not what to think about our complex environment, provides a balanced approach to environmental issues, uses the forest as a "window" on the world to increase students' understanding of our environment; develop students' ability to make informed decisions on environmental issues; and instill in students the commitment to take responsible action on behalf of the environment. http://www.plt.org/.

Project WILD/Aquatic WILD: is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. The program is designed for educators of K- 12th grade students. Project WILD capitalizes on the natural interest that children and adults have in wildlife by providing hands-on activities that enhance student learning in all subject and skill areas. Participants get hands-on experience in at least five activities and receive the appropriate Project WILD activity guide. The basic materials include two activity guides for K-12th grade educators: the Project WILD K-12 Activity Guide focuses on wildlife and habitat, and the Project WILD Aquatic Education Activity Guide emphasizes aquatic wildlife and aquatic ecosystems. http://myfwc.com/education/educators/project-wild/.

Healthy Water Healthy People: Targets teachers and students in grades 6-12, and uses innovative, interactive activities and materials and demonstrates critical water quality topics in simple, understandable ways. This comprehensive water quality education program designed to make the complex topics of water quality relevant and meaningful for all with hands-on interactive activities and lessons. The program covers environmental health and human health topics. Workshop attendees receive the Water Quality Educators Guide and the Field Monitoring Guide.http://projectwet.org/water-resources-education/water-quality-education/.

Schoolyard Activities and Ecology/Schoolyard Ecosystems: is an environmental education program that can teach adult educators of K-12 students how to turn school grounds into an effective outdoors classroom. The Schoolyard Wildlife Project's resources help incorporate Florida's natural history into curricula to teach environmental awareness, problem-solving, basic biology and ecological principles. The Schoolyard Wildlife Project offers two types of hands-on, interactive, one-day workshops: Schoolyard Activities & Ecology and Schoolyard Ecosystems. Schoolyard Activities & Ecology workshops provide educators with high quality, Florida-specific natural history and ecology lessons, and natural science explorations. The Activity Guide contains 35 field- tested activities with focusing on wildlife education and ecology on school grounds. This workshop targets educators in grades K-6. Participants receive the Handbook to Schoolyard Plants & Animals and the Schoolyard Wildlife Activity Guide. Florida's Water Resource Activity Pack was designed to complement Schoolyard Wildlife Activity Guide and is included with the workshops. Schoolyard Ecosystems workshops teach educators about local ecosystems and how to involve their students in the creation, restoration or enhancement of native wildlife habitats on school grounds. This six-hour intensive workshop targets educators in grades K-12. Participants receive the Schoolyard Ecosystems for Florida: A Guide for Planning, Installing, Maintaining, and Using. The companion book to the activity guide, Handbook to Schoolyard Plants and Animals of North Central Florida, can be ordered through the FWC office. http://myfwc.com/education/educators/schoolyard-wildlife/.