Philadelphia, PA — October 30, 2025 – In a landmark move to promote the healthy development and environmental equity for youth, Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis officially endorsed the Pennsylvania Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights (COBOR) on October 9, in observance of Children’s Environmental Health Day. The COBOR was developed through a collaboration led by Prescribe Outside and the Climate & Environmental Health Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pennsylvania Chapter (PA AAP).
A New Commitment to Outdoor Access for Children
The Pennsylvania COBOR establishes a framework of shared expectations and guiding principles that every child in Pennsylvania should have safe, regular, and meaningful access to outdoor and nature-based experiences. Its signatories commit to advancing equity, removing barriers, and supporting community efforts that ground children in healthy environmental connections. The endorsement by Governor Shapiro (D-PA) and Lieutenant Governor Davis demonstrates how ensuring children grow up connected to nature aligns with the state government’s broader agenda of investing in public health, climate resilience, and equitable infrastructure.
Origins and Purpose
The COBOR is a tool actively promoted within the Nature Everywhere movement, a national initiative seeking to expand equitable access to nature for children in all communities. It serves as a rights-based framework that helps communities set goals, embed nature in planning, evaluate equity of access, and systematize nature engagement for youth. The Pennsylvania COBOR is the product of joint leadership by Prescribe Outside, a nature prescription program based at Awbury Arboretum, and the PA AAP Climate & Environmental Health Committee. Both groups view access to nature as not only beneficial to one’s health, but a right owed to current and future generations. The collaborators enlisted local Graphic Designer and Illustrator Beth Miner of Mayapple Graphics to interpret the COBOR visually, representing each “right” with its own unique vignette.
As the Nature Everywhere Community representing Philadelphia, Prescribe Outside has leveraged technical support, peer networking, and planning resources to embed COBOR within local and state strategies. “Each right articulates both an experience we feel children are entitled to, as well as direction in pursuit of advocacy efforts. For example, the right to ‘gaze into a starry sky’ is both a dreamy aspiration as well as a call to action to improve air quality and regulate light pollution.” – Grace Parker, Prescribe Outside Project Manager The PA AAP committee views COBOR as an extension of its mission to integrate environmental health, climate awareness, and pediatric advocacy into state policy and practice. “Children deserve outdoor spaces that are safe, healthy and clean. We know that spending time outdoors improves our health. All Pennsylvania children have the right to safely access the outdoors, and we hope the Children’s Outdoor Bill Of Rights will lead to actions to make this a reality.” – Dr. Barbara Rolnick, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatrician.
Children’s Environmental Health Day (October 9) was a fitting occasion to launch COBOR and generate public awareness of how environments where children live, learn, and play directly influence their development and long-term well-being. From environmental educators to healthcare providers, to advocacy groups, any Pennsylvania organization in support of this movement is welcome to “sign” onto the COBOR by uploading their logo at www.prescribeoutside.org/COBOR.
