Orcas preschoolers first participants in Washington State University study on outdoor time, childhood obesity and stress

By Kristina Stucki

Journal contributor

Kaleidoscope Preschool and Childcare Center of Orcas Island was recently the first data collection site for Washington State University researchers studying the effects of outdoor playtime on preschoolers’ gut microbiomes and stress levels. In October, more than 20 local students participated in the first step of a multiyear, statewide study that is seeking to influence policy changes regarding equitable access to outdoor spaces for children.

“Right now in Washington State, it is a guideline that children are supposed to spend an hour and a half outside each day,” Dr. Amber Fyfe-Johnson, lead researcher on the project, explained. “When we went into preschools to observe, on average preschoolers were getting 30 minutes of outdoor time each day. We realized that break time included getting on rain jackets and boots, visiting the bathroom, etc. – actual outdoor time was much less than you’d hope.”

Fyfe-Johnson knows how to use research to create policy change. Her last project, which spanned 2019-2024, focused on the effects of outdoor preschools on sleep. The study followed 200 students for two years each and found data compelling enough to secure a grant from the National Institute of Health for a larger and more in-depth study – the current project that Kaleidoscope is involved in. From that same 2019 study, she was also able to provide data that the Department of Children, Youth and Families needed in order to advocate for new legislation in 2021 – legislation that made Washington the first state in the country to license outdoor preschools.

Who was the first outdoor preschool to be licensed in not only Washington but the nation? Kaleidoscope Preschool and Child Care Center, led by Amber Paulsen of Orcas Island. The two Ambers wouldn’t cross paths with each other for three more years until Fyfe-Johnson’s current COMETS study (Childhood Obesity: the role of the gut Microbiome, Outdoor Time, and Stress), but their efforts toward getting kids into nature aligned long before that.

“Amber is doing such incredible work,” Fyfe-Johnson shared, after chuckling over the coincidence of their shared first names and passion for getting children outside. “Partners in crime, we must do this together! She is deeply committed to equity and health – it’s a unique and powerful connection between the two of us and I’m thrilled we get to work together.”

When Fyfe-Johnson reached out to all of the licensed outdoor preschool programs in the state for potential participants in the COMETS study, Paulsen was the first to respond.

“I thought, oh my gosh, absolutely. This is the coolest thing ever!” Paulsen remembered about receiving the initial email about COMETS. “I have some families in the medical field, and others familiar with research who signed up right away. Some others had more questions – about the security of it, the integrity of it. Amber came up for an in-person meeting and did a great job helping everyone understand what was going to happen. She’s so passionate about it that you can’t help but get excited!”

The COMETS study measures the microbiome and stress hormones (via stool and saliva) as well as outdoor time and physical activity of the preschoolers. The researchers bring the equipment to the families, so they can take measurements at home over the course of a week in both the spring and fall. Researchers will follow the same students for two years over the course of this study; approximately 500 students will be participating statewide over the course of five years in total.

“Part of doing research with kiddos – I take the approach that the kids are my collaborators,” Fyfe-Johnson said. “I want it to be fun for them. The kids think it’s cool that I’m measuring their poop and they are wearing superhero belts (activity trackers). It’s the engagement piece for them – it matters.”

Prior to her doctorate, where she studied cardiovascular health in children as a way to prevent later health issues in adults, Fyfe-Johnson was a pediatrician practicing integrative medicine.

“I saw that we were good at treating asthma and eczema,” she remembered, “but from a public health perspective, we just couldn’t move the needle on overall health. Especially in marginalized communities. I really want to do work to support these families, not ask for more from them.”

Now that stress, gut health and their impact on overall immunity and health outcomes are more widely understood, Fyfe-Johnson is hoping to use the data from the COMETS study to create change for children’s health by convincing lawmakers that outdoor time is worth the financial investment.

“Policymakers have a budget,” she explained. “Outdoor time seems like a nicety, but not a necessity. But if it changes physical activity, it changes long-term health outcomes, it changes all these metrics which are linked to academic performance, sleep, immunity, etc. – then they are excited to invest. Then this is a preventative and cost-effective option for public health. And that’s how we can create an equitable option for outdoor time for kids without placing the burden on the parents, especially in marginalized communities. My research is policy forward. I want health data to inform policy change. And it’s a change in policy for all kids, so everyone has access to outdoor spaces.”

Outdoor space is something that Kaleidoscope knows a lot about. While they offer a typical indoor preschool program (with normal outside playtime for breaks and lunch), they also have a full outdoor preschool program where the children are outdoors from 8 a.m. dropoff to 5 p.m. pickup – regardless of weather. At their forest school facility, they have three outdoor “classrooms” that can accommodate 18 students each, with ages ranging from 2.5 to 5 years old.

“I’m excited to see the comparison between our preschool and our forest school in the COMETS study,” Paulsen said. “Having both groups right here in the same place is so interesting. And I do hope Amber can get continued funding and do further studies to see what happens as the kids attend kindergarten. I think kids on the island get more outdoor time than a lot of communities – just the nature of where we live and the priorities of people who live somewhere like Orcas. But I’m really interested to see what this study ends up showing us.”

“It is such a treat to come up there,” Fyfe-Johnson said. “I’ve been coming as a visitor to Orcas for many years, but this is my first time interacting with the young families. It’s a really fun and new angle of the island. I’m really excited to get to work with this community for the next five years.”