CREEC Resource Directory HELP Page
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| On this page, you will find information on how to use the CREEC directory. You may choose from the following topics: |
Providers versus Programs/Resources
Compendium Resources
How to Search: the Search Forms
Simple Search
Advanced Search
Search Providers
Search Results
Statewide versus Regional (County-specific) records
Adding Resources to the Directory
Updates/Feedback on Records
How do I search other regions?
Website Questions/Comments |
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A Provider is an organization that offers an environmental education program or resource.
Examples of Providers include: zoos, nature centers, publishers, museums, government agencies, and aquariums. A Program/Resource is the specific program (field trip, workshop, internship) or resource (curriculum guide, activity kit, website) that is being offered. Providers are linked to the programs/resources they offer. You can view the programs/resources offered by each provider by looking for the links located just below a provider's contact information. |
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The CREEC Directory includes 135 curriculum that were thoroughly reviewed by teams of educators as part of the Compendium project. Each of these curricula are included in the publication, "Environmental Education Compendium for Communities: A Review of Curricula on Natural and Built Environments". When viewing a Compendium-reviewed CREEC Resource, you will have access to the additional evaluative information (sample pages, report card, discipline emphasis graph and reviewers' comments) provided by this publication. Compendium Resources can be identified in your search results by looking for this icon . You can also List All Communities Compendium Curriculum or find out More about the Compendium.
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The CREEC Resource Directory can be searched from each of the CREEC Regions and from the main State Directory page. The Resource Directory buttons located throughout the www.creec.org website will take you to a regional or statewide Simple Search page. The Simple Search searches for environmental education programs/resources in a variety of ways. You can also choose one of the other search forms by clicking on the appropriate search button on the left hand side of each page. Each of the forms is explained below: |
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The Simple Search searches only programs/resources (not providers). You have 3 options when searching: the Keyword Search, the Regional Search, or the Advanced Search. You can only use one of these options at a time. |
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Option 1: The Keyword Search
This search form will search the entire California directory for the words that you enter. It will look for the words in the title or description of a program/resource. This search looks for an exact match so if you enter more than one word, it will search for the entire phrase. If you have difficulty finding a program/resource using this search form, try one of these approaches: check for misspellings, reduce the number of words you enter, or try searching for just part of a word. |
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Option 2: The Regional Search
This search form will only search for programs/resources that are available in this region. If you are unsure what counties make up the region, you can check the list of counties under County Served. A Regional Search will find records that match one or more of these counties or Statewide. Statewide programs/resources are available in all California counties. You can search by County Served, Grade Level and/or Program/Resource Type. This is an AND search so if you select more than one field to search on, all conditions must be true. For example, if you choose San Mateo, Grade 5 and Activity/Learning Kit then your search results will be a list of programs/resources that are activity/learning kits for Grade 5 available in San Mateo County. The list will not find all activity/learning kits but just those for the fifth grade available in San Mateo County. If you want to broaden your search results, choose fewer fields to search on.
If you are on the State Simple Search page, the Regional Search is actually a State Search. The State Search searches all counties in California.
You can expand your search by using the Advanced Search form. It includes additional counties, audiences and program/resource types as well as other fields such as city, EE focus, and bilingual availability. |
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Option 3: The Advanced Search
The Simple Search page includes a link to this more detailed search form. Click on the Advanced Search link to access this form. You can also use the Advanced Search button on the left hand side of the page. See the next section for more information about the Advanced Search. |
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This search form searches only for environmental education Programs/Resources serving California. It does not search for environmental education Providers. If you are looking for a provider, use the Search Providers button. Click here to learn more about the difference between providers and programs/resources.
The Advanced Search searches all counties in California unless you limit your search by selecting an individual county. For example, if you search for a Field Trip for Grade 5 on Recycling, you will get results from across the state including field trips in Redding, Sonora and San Luis Obispo. Search by a city or county to get more specific results.
The Advanced Search lets you search on nine different fields. You can select one choice out of each field and type in the name and city fields but if you select more than one field to search on, all conditions must be true. For example, if you choose Activity/Learning Kit, Ecosystems-Wetlands, and Grade 3 then your search results will be a list of programs/resources that are activity/learning kits on wetlands for Grade 3. The list will not find all activity/learning kits but just those for the third grade focused on wetlands. If you want to broaden your search results, choose fewer fields to search on. If you have trouble finding a specific program/resource, try one of these approaches: check for misspellings, reduce the number of words you enter, select a specific county or Statewide to filter out program/resources from other regions.
You can also limit Advanced Search results to Compendium-reviewed resources. Compendium resources have been reviewed as part of the Compendum for Communities (Natural and Built Environments) project. These resources provide additional review information and actual sample pages from the curriculum. |
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To locate a particular environmental education provider (organization that offers EE programs/resources), click on the Search Providers button on the left side of the page. This page will allow you to search for providers in three ways: |
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Option 1: Keyword Search
Like the Keyword Search for programs/resources, this search will search the entire California directory for the words that you enter. It will look for the words in the title or mission statement of a provider. This search looks for an exact match so if you enter more than one word, it will search for the entire phrase. If you have difficulty finding a provider using this search form, try one of these approaches: check for misspellings, reduce the number of words you enter, or try searching for a key part of the provider's title. |
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Option 2: Simple Search
This form searches the entire California directory for providers. This forms allows you to search by City and County Served as well as Provider Name/Title. If you select more than one field to search on, all conditions must be true. |
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Option 3: List Providers by Region
If you want to see a complete list of providers in a particular CREEC Region, click on a regional name in this section. The list will contain all providers that serve that region of the state. This list does not include providers that serve Statewide unless they have been marked as having a local presence in that region. To view a complete list of Statewide providers, click on the Statewide link. |
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No matter which search form you use, search results are displayed as a list of all records meeting your search criteria. The results are displayed alphabetically and include the title of the provider or program/resource and the first two lines of the description. The title appears as an underlined link. Click on this link to access information about the individual provider or program/resource. A maximum of 30 records is displayed on each page. If your search returns more than 30 records, you can view additional records by using the Next and Prev (previous page) navigation links at the top and bottom of each page. If a Compendium resource is included in your search results, it will be marked with this icon: |
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Statewide providers offer programs or resources to educators in all counties of the state. Statewide programs/resources are available in every county. These programs/resources tend to be curriculum guides, websites and grant programs that can be used by teachers throughout the state. Some statewide resources are offered by providers located in other states and countries.
Regional (county-specific) resources are those which are geared specifically to a certain county or region of the state. Field trips, speakers, and exhibits tend to be available in a limited local area. County-specific providers offer programs or resources to educators within a certain geographic region or county.
If you are looking for local resources, you will want to look for resources available in your county or surrounding counties. Don't forget to also search statewide resources since these are available in your area as well. |
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You can add your provider or programs/resources to the directory by using our online forms. Simply click on the Add Resources to the Directory button on the left hand side of each page. Follow the instructions for filtering your programs/resources and for accessing the appropriate forms.
New programs/resources must be added directly to the appropriate provider record. First locate the provider by using the Search Providers form, then look for the "Add Resource" button. Click on this button, fill in the form and click on Submit. The form will pre-fill contact information and counties served based on the information in the provider record. You can alter this pre-filled information if necessary. All records must be approved by a CREEC Administrator before they become a part of the online directory. |
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You can provide updates or comments for any record in the directory. If you notice outdated or incorrect information, use the "Updates/Feedback" button at the top of each record to open a form for submitting updates or comments. A CREEC Administrator will receive your request and revise the record. |
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The Keyword Search, Advanced Search and Search Providers forms will search all regions for records that match your search criteria. The Regional Search on the Simple Search page only searches regional records. If you would like to use a different regional search page, simply click on the CREEC.ORG button to return to the main CREEC Network website. Click on the region of the state you wish to search and then use the Resource Directory button. If you are on the State Search pages, you can select a regional directory from the list on the left hand side. |
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If you have additional questions or comments about the directory, send an email to sjohnso@wested.org. |
