Today, I’m pleased to introduce an exciting climate education capacity-building opportunity. Since AB 285’s passage in 2023, California’s public schools and districts are required to provide students in grades 1-12 with annual educational opportunities on climate change causes, effects, solutions, and adaptations. Yet, only 1 in 4 California high school students thinks they are learning enough about climate change in school. And teachers are hungry for current resources and professional learning.
This leaves schools and districts with a persistent challenge: meeting clearly expressed student and teacher needs and policy requirements related to climate change education. Access to high-quality instructional materials is an important part of addressing this challenge. But without accompanying professional learning, educators miss a critical opportunity to build both their confidence and their pedagogical skills.
An opportunity to cultivate climate education in your region
Enter Seeds to Solutions® Cultivator Cooperative: a climate education capacity-building series for current and aspiring professional learning providers with three offerings across California.
- Designed for current and aspiring professional learning providers—including county office staff, district, site, and teacher leaders, as well as community-based partners
- Introduces participants to instructional design approaches in California’s high-quality, free climate education instructional materials, Seeds to Solutions
- Provides opportunities to connect with local climate literacy leaders from their county and region
- Prepares participants to support professional learning efforts customized to their local communities as Lead Cultivators
The centerpiece of Cultivator Cooperative is Seeds to Solutions: California’s free, solutions-oriented lesson plans and student materials for grades K–12 on California environmental issues. Developed in response to teacher and community demand, the lessons empower students to address real-world environmental issues, from food waste to water use to wildfire management. The resources, released in March 2025, were developed through a partnership between Ten Strands and the San Mateo County Office of Education, in coordination with the California Department of Education.
What participants can expect
The first day of the two-day Cultivator Cooperative grounds all participants in a learner experience centered on a grade-level unit, providing an opportunity to experience and unpack how Seeds to Solutions intentionally supports student sensemaking. This session is a cross-disciplinary adaptation of the “Spark Curiosity” materials developed by the CA NGSS Collaborative, with support from CAL-MSCS. Participants leave day one with turnkey professional learning materials (e.g., slides, handouts, facilitator’s guide) they can use to support local Seeds to Solutions professional learning opportunities.
Day two provides a unique opportunity for participants to work with their regional peers to explore opportunities to localize Seeds to Solutions and professional learning materials to meet the unique needs of their communities. Based on participant interest, this may include customizing for local instructional priorities, local climate impacts, or opportunities to connect with local community-based partners. The second day concludes with opportunities to plan implementation following Cultivator Cooperative, with at least $1,000 in provided funding for local efforts.
How to participate
County offices of education will receive information via email by September 4th about the series, including registration, funding support, and implementation requirements.
Interested district, site, and teacher leaders, as well as community-based partners, should contact their county office of education to express their interest in participating. With only 40 spots per Cultivator Cooperative, interested counties are asked to confirm their participation quickly to ensure they are represented.
Designed by a diverse team of professional learning facilitators
Development for the two-day Cultivator Cooperative series is supported by a diverse team of experienced professional learning facilitators representing diverse perspectives from across the state: Katie Beck (Orange County Dept of Education), Lesley Gates (Fresno County Superintendent of Schools), Jill Grace (K-12 Alliance, WestEd), Julie Hilborn (San Mateo COE), Crystal Starr Howe (San Diego COE), Chelsy Lancaster (Kern COE), Amity Sandage (Santa Cruz COE), Bret States (San Joaquin COE), and Maia Steward (Mendocino COE).
(Photo Credit: Jill Grace)
We look forward to welcoming our future Lead Cultivators in Sonoma, Fresno, or Costa Mesa! If you have questions about Cultivator Cooperative, visit our website or contact me, Holly Steele, at S2SCC@tenstrands.org.
Ten Strands is deeply grateful to the S.H. Cowell Foundation for funding these regional events.
