King Conservation Leadership Academy 

Welcoming individuals of all ages to connect to wildlife, nature, themselves, each other, and their communities.

The King Conservation Leadership Academy (KCLA) is guided by the Zoo’s mission to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people to wildlife and nature and as we each learn how to:

Connect. Understanding the connections between you, your life, and your environment.

Care. Having empathy for all living things. 

Conserve. Taking action that leads to a sustainable relationship with nature.  
 

Each KCLA programmatic structure is designed to provide entry points for individuals and families throughout their lives – offering learning opportunities for children, families, teenagers, and adults.
 

The King Conservation Leadership Academy (KCLA or King Academy) is a programmatic suite of free, outside-of-school time, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) learning opportunities for children, families, teenagers, and adults.

The King Academy is part of the programmatic offerings from the Education & Community Engagement (ECE) department of Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC), and its structures are designed to provide entry points for individuals and families throughout their lives.

All KCLA programs welcome participation through nature-based learning that cultivates contemporary leadership skills based in conservation mindfulness and awareness as participants connect to wildlife, nature, themselves, each other, and their communities.

This is done by creating learning experiences that support individuals in:

• Developing interest in environmental science and conservation;
• Understanding environmental science and conservation knowledge;
• Engaging in scientific reasoning related to environmental science and conservation;
• Reflecting on their own process of learning about environmental science and conservation;
• Engaging in scientific practices used in environmental science and conservation; and
• Identifying as a member of the global pro-environmental community by contributing to environmental science and conservation action in our programs and in their everyday lives.

KCLA programs are informed by various developmental frameworks, educational and interpretive philosophies, learning standards applied through interdisciplinary approaches, and community input.

Currently, King Academy community-based work takes place primarily within the central region of Cook County with estimated boundaries of: North Avenue to the north, Lake Michigan on the east, 71st street on the south, and I-294 to the west.

The programs of the King Conservation Leadership Academy are made possible, in part, thanks to the support of: the King Family Foundation; Anonymous; Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc; BNSF Railway Foundation; FedEx; the Julius N. Frankel Foundation; Keeley Family Foundation; Mr. & Mrs. Kevin M. Keeley; Nalco, an Ecolab Company; Peoples Gas Community Fund; the Schmidgall Family Foundation; the Dr. Scholl Foundation; Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Chicago; and State Farm®

Zoo Adventure Passport! (ZAP!) specific supporters from the above list include: Anonymous; the Schmidgall Family Foundation; and Shriner’s Hospital for Children – Chicago

King Conservation Science Explorers (King Explorers or KCSE) specific supporters from the above list include: Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc.

King Conservation Science Scholars (King Scholars or KCSS) specific supporters from the above list include: Nalco, an Ecolab Company and State Farm®

©2025 Brookfield Zoo Chicago is a private nonprofit organization operated by the Chicago Zoological Society on land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County.