The Obama Administration has announced that the federal government will be continuing the Every Kid in a Park program which gives fourth graders and their families free access to federal lands and waters nationwide for a full year.
Fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website to obtain a free pass that provides access to federally managed lands and waters – including national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries. The pass is valid from September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017 and grants free entry for fourth graders and up to three accompanying adults (or an entire non-commerical vehicle for drive-in parks) at more than 2,000 sites across the country. Besides printing their pass at the Every Kid in a Park website, fourth graders also have access to a variety of fun educational activities. Note: Their printed pass can be traded in for a more durable pass at participating federal sites nationwide.
Additionally, the Every Kid in a Park website offers educators and community leaders access to educational activities, field trip options, information and tools in English and Spanish. Parents can find also links to plan trips to nearby public lands. The website contains a toolkit with resources for planning field trips, along with an extended list of public lands and waters to consider for field trips.
The goal is to have the Every Kid in a Park program continue each year with the new class of fourth graders. After 12 years, every school-age child in America will have had an opportunity to visit their public lands and waters for free, inspiring the next generation to be stewards of our nation’s shared natural and cultural heritage. The Program is an Administration-wide effort between the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Army, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Education.
Watch a video with highlights from Every Kid in a Park from last year.
Every Kid in a Park Program URL address: https://www.everykidinapark.gov/
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