Climate change is no longer a distant concept for children. It shapes the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the environments they grow up in. Yet climate education is still uneven, especially in early learning spaces where foundations are formed.
Climate Heroes is a programme designed to introduce climate and environmental learning to children aged 3 to 11. The programme includes one year of implementation support, while schools can retain lifelong access to the curriculum and are encouraged to continue using it well beyond the support period.
In its current phase, the programme reaches over 11,000 children across 63 low-fee community and government schools in India, Tanzania, and Kenya. Earth Warriors works through and with five partners committed to strengthening early education systems: the Directorate of Education, Delhi; Akanksha Foundation; Hippocampus Learning Centres; Tanzania Early Childhood Education and Care; and the Madrasa Early Childhood Programme in Kenya. Together, they implement the curriculum across different age groups, spanning ages 3 to 11.
Together, we support teachers with curriculum, training, and classroom resources that help them teach climate change, environmental care, and sustainability in ways young children can understand and act on.
Earth Warriors carried out baseline monitoring with teachers and students. A total of 180 teachers completed the survey. The aim was straightforward: understand where teachers and children are starting from, so the programme can respond effectively and adapt as it scales.
What We’re Seeing So Far
Teachers are ready and motivated.
180 teachers completed the post training survey.
67% were very satisfied with the training and 32% were satisfied.
Over 90% agreed that the goals were clear, the content was easy to understand, and the material was relevant to their work.
97% said they would like to attend similar training again.
Knowledge and confidence increased.
Across all topics, teachers’ self reported knowledge and confidence rose from “moderate” before training to “high” after training.
While this is self reported data, it shows clear improvement and strong perceived impact.
Teachers believe climate education is important.
The vast majority said it is important or very important for students to learn about climate and environmental topics.
58% strongly agreed and 39% agreed that the training content was relevant to them.
Some concerns exist, especially before training.
Before training, 41% had no concerns about teaching environmental issues and 44% had no concerns about climate change.
Among those who did have concerns, the main ones were:
• Students being too young
• Limited classroom time
• Gaps in their own knowledge
• Fear of making students anxious
The training was designed to address these concerns, and follow up data will track how these shift over time.
Students are already curious.
14% of teachers said students often ask about climate or environmental issues.
61% said students sometimes ask.
This shows growing curiosity that structured climate education can strengthen.
Climate change is a lived reality for teachers.
Around half of teachers in India and Africa reported experiencing major effects of climate change personally or within their communities.
Air pollution was the most widely shared environmental concern, followed by climate change and water or soil pollution.
98% of teachers selected three environmental issues that worry them most.
Baseline knowledge shows room to grow.
Most teachers know that human activity contributes to climate change.
63% could correctly define climate change.
42% could correctly explain the greenhouse effect.
This confirms that structured, contextualised training is necessary and valuable.
What we’re learning from children
Before classroom delivery began, Earth Warriors conducted baseline assessments across three age groups to understand what children already know about the environment and climate.
Three assessments were designed, one for each of the following age groups: Pre-primary (3-5 year olds); Grades 1-3 (6-8 year olds); and Grades 4-5 (9-11 year olds). For all three age groups, assessments were administered orally, one-on-one by teachers.
Among pre-primary children aged 3 to 5, most were able to correctly answer questions on basic environmental behaviours and relationships between living things. Across partners, this points to a strong early foundation, likely shaped by learning at school, at home, or both.
For children aged 6-8, baseline results showed mixed understanding. Students correctly answered around 40 to 60 percent of questions on average. While general environmental awareness was relatively strong, climate-specific knowledge was limited. Fewer than half had heard of climate change, and only small proportions could identify its causes or contributing activities.
Students between ages 9 and 11 performed better overall, answering 50 to 70 percent of questions correctly despite no prior exposure to the curriculum. They showed confidence in everyday pro-environmental choices but a weaker understanding of climate-specific concepts.
Across all age groups, a clear pattern emerged. Children already care about the environment, but their understanding of climate change is much less developed. This highlights the importance of structured, age-appropriate climate education that builds on what children already know and care about.
Assessment Results, by Gender
Small disparities were seen in learning outcomes between girls and boys. These disparities were slightly wider for each successive year group – among pre-primary students, there was a gap of 2 percentage points in average scores for girls and boys. This increased slightly to 4 percentage points (pp) in Grades 1-3, and 6 pp for children in Grades 4-5
Across all age groups, children showed strong awareness of basic environmental actions. Even very young learners could identify behaviours like planting trees, keeping surroundings clean, saving water, and avoiding littering.
Key Takeaways
The data points to a strong foundation for Climate Heroes. Teachers across India and Africa are motivated, open to learning, and already see environmental education as central to their role. Their lived experience of climate impacts makes the programme immediately relevant.
Students bring curiosity and enthusiasm, but climate-specific understanding needs to be intentionally built. Across age groups, key concepts such as greenhouse gases, causes of climate change, and human contributions to global warming remain weak. The value added by the Climate Heroes curriculum will be captured at the endline, where improvements in climate understanding and students’ confidence to take climate action can be measured.
As Climate Heroes scales, Earth Warriors Global will continue strengthening teacher support, refining classroom delivery, and building the deeper climate literacy children need to understand their world and act within it.