Every Child in the Park Gives Fourth Graders and Families Free Passes to the National Park
If you are a fourth grader, your family can get a free pass to the national park for the whole year. The National Parks Foundation has launched a new initiative: Every Child in the Park .
The program started on September 1 and aims to encourage families to visit national parks, monuments, historic districts and wildlife sanctuaries in the United States. The National Parks website explains :
From September 1, all fourth grade students have access to their own Every Child in the Park pass. This pass gives you free access to National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Areas and more!
The subscription “Every child in the park” is valid in the 2015-2016 academic year until August 31, 2016.
The program gives the family an annual pass to over 2,000 federal parks nationwide. For a parking fee for a car, everyone in a vehicle can get in for free. For individual sites, the program gives a pass to the student and up to three accompanying adults.
So why fourth graders? Through their media kit, they explain:
Focusing on fourth graders year after year, the program works to ensure that every child in the United States can visit and use their federal lands and waters by the time he or she turns 11.
Research shows that children aged 9-11 are at a unique developmental stage in their learning when they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways. At this stage, they are receptive to new ideas and are more likely to maintain a positive attitude towards nature and the environment.
If your family doesn’t have a fourth grader, you’re not entirely lucky. The National Park Service also offers several free days . You can find out more and apply for a pass at the link below.