Yashwant Bhagwanji

Associate Professor
Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry

A relatively new construct and direction in the field, my focus on supporting children as “problem-solvers and agents of change for sustainability” has intensified over the past few years. Some early accomplishments have been a publication advancing changes in formal and informal educational programs though a formative evaluation process, development of a series of state-of-the-art preservice education courses in early childhood environmental education, and participation in national initiatives promoting children’s connection with and care for the natural world. Another outcome of my engagement and interest in early childhood environmental education has been the establishment of a new double-blind peer-reviewed journal, International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, for which I have served as the editor since its founding in 2012. Current initiatives include the development of a Florida Environmental Literacy Plan in partnership with the League of Environmental Educators of Florida (LEEF), development of a nature playscape in partnership with FAU’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, and several other opportunities related to improving children’s ontological fluency about the world of nature.