2009 Patricia F. Kane Award
Excellence in Environmental Education


Diane Genco (r) receives the award from NJ Audubon Vice President for Education, Dale Rosselet

Diane Genco is the executive director of the New Jersey School Age Care Coalition (NJSACC) which promotes and supports the development, continuity and expansion of quality programs for children and youth during out-of-school time. 

Diane has led numerous programs for families for over 30 years, from teaching programs for two-year olds to day care programs for senior citizens.   She has always had a connection to the natural world and currently volunteers at Greenwood Gardens in Short Hills, NJ. 

NJAS was introduced to Diane through the NJ Commission on Environmental Education where she gave a presentation about involving non-formal nature-related programs with established afterschool programs.   Since then she has held a “No Child Left Inside” forum to bring together unlikely partners in promoting nature education.  She is an active member of the Children & Nature Network and initiated Celebrate Afterschool!  Outdoors in the Garden State, a statewide afterschool campaign to encourage aftercare providers to get their kids outside and involved in nature exploration and discovery. 

Diane is also an associate for the National Institute on Out-of-School Time at Wellesley College, where she has trained school administrators and afterschool professionals in 42 states. She serves on the Policy Board of the NJ Professional Development Center for Early Care and Education, and the NJ Advisory Board for No Child Left Behind. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the National School-Age Care Alliance and was a member of its Board of Advisors.

A native of Buffalo, New York, she received a BS in Human Development, Family and Community Relations from the State University College at Buffalo and a Masters Degree in Education and Child Care Administration from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.