Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative

We work with educators to connect kids to the places in which they live.

About Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative (UVTPC)

Founded in 2017 as the Wellborn Hub, the Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative (UVTPC) is a network of education professional development providers and practitioners who work together to advance high-quality place-based and ecological education (PBEE) in all Upper Valley Schools. We envision an Upper Valley where all students are deeply engaged in education that fosters ecological understanding and connection to places. We work with professional development providers, educators, administrators, and schools across the region to connect them to the support they need in order to advance PBEE.

After several years of fiscal sponsorship by Vital Communities, UVTPC became a Vital Communities program in July 2021. UVTPC is funded by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Wellborn Ecology Fund.

What the UVTPC has to offer you

A dynamic local network of passionate peers who can support you in your PBEE work
Monthly newsletters with stories of local PBEE practitioners, events, training opportunities, and grant listings.
On-site presentations to educate staff on PBEE professional development opportunities in the Upper Valley
Individualized consultations to help you determine and connect to the PBEE resources that are right for you
An annual conference bringing together practitioners from around the region to share and learn about best practices in PBEE
This website designed to provide you easy access to PBEE resources and networking opportunities.

UVTPC 2020-23 Strategic Plan

UVTPC Steering Committee

Place-Based Education News

E-News Archive

Sunrise Farm Field Trip – Woodstock C.R.A.F.T Program

Are you looking to connect your Farm to School program with more community partners? The C.R.A.F.T program at Woodstock Union…

Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative 2022 Mini-Grant Projects

Nine diverse educational organizations from across the Upper Valley received Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative mini-grants this year, including several…

Thetford Academy Outdoor Program: Playing in Place

On October 5, our Place-Based Education Project Manager Andrew Deaett joined Thetford Academy’s Outdoor Program on an outing at Bill…

Making Ecological Learning Real in the White River

(Hover over these photos to see captions and click on them to enlarge them!) What do riffles, Tropical Storm Irene,…

Educator Resources

Science Symposium

Science Symposium Through guided, collaborative teaching, the Science Symposium gets students engaged in authentic, real-world science projects. VINS Educators work…

ELF (Environmental Learning for the Future) Science program

ELF (Environmental Learning for the Future) Science program The ELF Science Program focuses on providing teachers with resources and the…

Small Wonders

Small Wonders Through immersive, hands-on lessons, Small Wonders engages preschool-age students in science, engineering, and the environment in new and…

Wee Wonders

Wee Wonders Activities, guided play, and natural materials help toddlers experience nature and science and develop critical skills. Wee Wonders…

Browse by Subject Area

Browse by Grade Level

Research and Evaluation Library

Nature Contact and Human Health: A Research Agenda

Nature contact may offer a range of human health benefits. Although much evidence is already available, much remains unknown. A…

Learning to Love the Natural World Enough to Protect It

An attempt at understanding what motivates people who take action to protect the land, air, waters or wilderness of their…

Effects of Regular Classes in Outdoor Education Settings: A Systematic Review on Students’ Learning, Social and Health Dimensions

The aim of this systematic review was to identify studies about regular compulsory school- and curriculum-based OEPs, to categorise and…

Getting Out Gets Results

Environmental Education Research from Boston and Beyond. Presented by the Boston Youth Environmental Network.

Placed-Based Education Staff

John Drew

Director of Place-Based Learning (he/him)

John Drew joined Vital Communities in August of 2022 as the Director of Place-Based Learning. He spent a long-time as…

Andrew Deaett

Project Manager, Place-Based Education (he/him)

Andrew joined Vital Communities in July of 2022 as a Project Manager in Place-Based Education, including heading the Farm to…

Gabrielle Ratté Smith

Project Manager, Valley Quest & UVTPC (she/her)

Gabrielle (she/her) joined Vital Communities in 2021. Gabrielle’s experience is centered around serving communities to become stronger and more civically…

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Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative

In This Section

We work with educators to connect kids to the places in which they live.

What the UVTPC has to offer you

Place-Based Education News

Educator Resources

Browse by Subject Area

Browse by Grade Level

Research and Evaluation Library

Placed-Based Education Staff

Receive the Place-Based Education Monthly E-News