Rep. Summer Lee, Senator Martin Heinrich Introduce Bicameral Bill to Help Schools Reenvision & Build Vibrant Outdoor Learning Spaces
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 15, 2026 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a former outdoor educator, announced the introduction of the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act, legislation to help schools from Pennsylvania to New Mexico and nationwide transform schoolyards into vibrant, nature-rich spaces for learning, play, and community use.
For many kids, the closest outdoor space is an asphalt schoolyard, offering little opportunity for safe play, shade, or connection to nature. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act helps address this by providing grants to schools and districts to transform their schoolyards into dynamic outdoor learning environments.
“Growing up in the Mon Valley, I’ve seen how our environments shape what our children believe is possible,” said Rep. Lee. “For too many students, especially in under-resourced communities, schoolyards are just concrete and heat and not a place that invites curiosity, creativity, or connection. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is about investing in our kids’ health and futures by transforming these spaces into green, vibrant environments. Every child deserves access to nature and safe, inspiring spaces, no matter their zip code.”
“As a father, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for kids to have outdoor spaces where they can learn, play, and grow,” said Sen. Heinrich. “I’m proud to lead legislation in the Senate that will help New Mexico schools turn schoolyards into greener spaces where students can garden, conduct outdoor science experiments, and connect with nature.”
Specifically, the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act will:
- Establish a grant program through the U.S. Department of Education to support the transformation of schoolyards into green, community-centered spaces.
- Fund schoolyard renovations, prioritizing communities with the greatest need, including Tribal schools.
- Boost kids’ physical and mental health, learning, and access to nature.
- Help schools grow healthy foods, trees, and pollinator plants.
- Support schools' conservation of water, create wildlife habitat, and increase climate resilience.
- Open schoolyards to communities after school hours, expanding access to safe places to play.
The full text of the bill is here.
The legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, Green Schoolyards America, Trust for Public Land, National Education Association, and more. A full list of endorsers is here.
“Representative Summer Lee recognizes that access to safe, green outdoor spaces is essential for children’s education and for their physical and mental health. At schools like Greenfield Elementary in Pittsburgh, we’ve seen how transforming asphalt into green space can create cooler, healthier places for students and families. However, many children—especially in urban communities—still lack access to nature where they learn and play every day. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a vital step toward addressing that disparity by investing in schoolyards that serve entire communities,” Carrie Besnette Hauser, President & CEO Trust for Public Land.
"The Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act is a monumental step towards realizing vital outdoor environments that enhance children's health, well-being, and academic success. We've seen firsthand how green schoolyards transform asphalt into vibrant learning ecosystems, fostering hands-on discovery, social connection, and joy. We particularly applaud the bill's prioritization of funding for communities most in need, ensuring this investment builds more resilient and equitable futures for all,” said Sarah Milligan-Toffler, President & CEO, Children & Nature Network
"Schoolyards are among the most ubiquitous, easily accessible public spaces throughout all types of U.S. communities. They are also, in many cases, ecologically degraded and underused by both the school and surrounding community. The Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act would move the nation toward a future where school-community connections are deepened, more Americans have increased, low-barrier access to nearby natural spaces, and local health is improved for both people and the environment. The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative fully supports this legislation and a world in which all students and their families in the U.S. have meaningful, everyday opportunities to learn, play, connect, explore, and pursue healthy lifestyles in natural outdoor spaces in their communities,” said Caleb Carlton, President & CEO, Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
“We are failing our children’s education needs. Creating meaningful, experiential learning opportunities for every child is more important than ever. These experiences provide vital opportunities for our children to connect what they are reading and hearing in the classroom to the world around them, allowing for critical learning,” said Megan Karch from Islandwood.
“The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a powerful step toward building a more equitable and inclusive outdoor future. By transforming schoolyards into vibrant, nature-rich spaces designed with and for the community, this legislation advances access to the outdoors, supports the well-being of youth, and honors the leadership of those most impacted by environmental injustice. Justice Outside proudly supports this effort to ensure every child—regardless of zip code—can learn, play, and thrive in healthy outdoor environments,” said Rena Payan from Justice Outside.
“I applaud Sen. Heinrich’s extraordinary leadership on the issue of revitalizing schoolyards to support the educational, recreational, and public health goals our kids need to meet to develop into happy and healthy adults. For nearly thirty years, KABOOM! has been working with school districts to transform their schoolyard playgrounds. This legislation will allow us to expand our work to build innovative playspaces that meet children’s many needs, as we have successfully done in places like Oakland, CA, through the creation of engaging schoolyards that connect kids to nature and become central to their daily lives,” said Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!
“Science has shown that kids are happier and healthier when they spend time in nature, whether it’s a national park or a schoolyard. Those benefits are blunted, however, when those schoolyards are blacktop patches instead of green fields. The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act will help ensure kids have a direct connection to trees and green spaces at their school and strengthen ties between our youth and the ecosystems that surround them,” said Robert Scott, Deputy Director of Federal Policy with Sierra Club.
“So much of our learning takes place outside the classroom as well as within it. For students, access to outdoor spaces that are on school grounds, especially those that incorporate nature and hands-on learning, is essential to their mental and physical well-being. That’s why we’re proud to support the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act and applaud Senator Heinrich for introducing this important legislation, which promises to have positive impacts that extend far beyond the playground,” said Paul Sanford, Director for Equitable Access Policy Advocacy, The Wilderness Society.
Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs. Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.