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Who We Are
The Los Angeles Living Schoolyards Coalition (LSYC) is a group of nonprofit organizations, educators, and community members who create and advocate for equitable and healthy school environments to support: physical and mental health, social and emotional well-being, safe outdoor education, access to nature, and climate resilience for Los Angeles County’s public-school students and communities.
Founded in 2019, we came together in response to the prevalence of asphalt schoolyards and their negative impacts on public health, equity, and climate resilience in the Los Angeles region.
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The LA Living Schoolyard Coalition (LYSC) seeks to work with students, parents, teachers and city leaders to transform schoolyards across the district into beautiful, green communities that reflect the needs of the families and children they serve. Community-led, nature based flourishing schoolyards that are open to the public provide opportunities for every child to thrive, play, engage and explore.
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Our mission is to create and advocate for equitable access to nature and healthy school environments designed with the community to support: safe outdoor education, physical and mental health, social and emotional well-being, and climate resilience for Los Angeles County’s public-school students and communities.
Coalition Goals:
Photo by: Paige Green, Green Schoolyards America.
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Transforming these spaces into living schoolyards through the replacement of asphalt with trees, soil, plants and mulch helps schoolyards and their surroundings to reduce air pollution and heat, creating environments that are more conducive to learning, playing and academic success. Nature access and biodiversity at school leads to healthy child development and improved academic performance.
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Opening campuses to the community during non-school hours has also shown to boost student academic achievement and enrollment by improving school-civic linkages, increasing parent involvement at school and deterring crime. Moreover, access extends the benefits of open space to the children, families and neighbors who reside in the surrounding community, which contributes to park and health equity in areas of high need.
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Wildlife habitat at Esperanza Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Emily Cobar.
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Walgrove Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles, CA. Photo by: Jay Sharman Photography.
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Buchanan St. Elementary School Greening Project, Los Angeles, CA. Photo source: North East Trees
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Lashbrook Park Interpretive Element in City of El Monte, CA. Photo source: Amigos de los Rios
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Outdoor classroom at Victoria Blvd Elementary, North Hollywood, CA. Photo source: Council for Watershed Health
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Tree planting at Bassett High School, La Puente, CA. Photo source: Amigos de los Rios
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Eagle Rock Elementary outdoor classroom, Los Angeles, CA. Photo source: Studio MLA
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Bioswale and seating area at Daniel Webster Middle School, Los Angeles, CA. Photo source: Council for Watershed Health.
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Outdoor student engagement. Photo by: Paige Green
Youth across Los Angeles do not have equitable access to parks and green space, leaving our public schools as the only available space for kids to run and play. Imagine if they were transformed into cool, comfortable play spaces by adding in grass, trees for shade, outdoor learning areas, seating and space to be active.
The LA LSYC has a plan….
Photo by: Annie Bang, Trust for Public Land.
