An update of the Every Kid in a Park has arrived, with the Interior Department implementing the Every Kid Outdoors program.
Under the new program, fourth grade students still can get a free annual pass to visit the 419 units of the National Park System, as well as more than 2,000 federal recreation areas with their families, classmates, and friends. The Every Kid Outdoors Program is an interagency collaboration between the Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service that provides fourth graders with free access to explore, learn, and recreate in spectacular settings, including national parks, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and forests.
"Introducing fourth grade students to America’s public lands provides them with limitless opportunities to have fun, be active, improve fitness, and learn critical skills," said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. "Visits on class trips or family vacations to the rich variety of astonishing landscapes and historic treasures located on public lands will result in unforgettable experiences and, hopefully, forge lifelong connections to the outdoors."
The bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on March 12, 2019, authorized funding for Every Kid Outdoors for the next seven years.
To obtain the free pass, fourth grade students visit the Every Kid Outdoors website, participate in a short educational activity, and download a voucher. The voucher is valid for multiple use between Sept. 1, 2019 and Aug. 31, 2020 to correspond to the traditional school year. The voucher may be exchanged for a keepsake pass at participating federal lands.
The voucher or pass grants free entry for fourth graders, all children under 16 in the group and up to three accompanying adults (or an entire car for drive-in parks) to most federally managed lands and waters. The pass does not cover expanded amenity fees such as camping or boat rides.
The great outdoors make a great classroom. Fourth grade educators are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of educational programs and tools associated with the Every Kid Outdoors Program. Educational activities, field trip options, information and tools in English and Spanish, and the ability to print vouchers for passes for students are all available on the website.
The Every Kid Outdoors Program replaces the Every Kid in a Park Program that was established in 2015.
The program focuses on children 10 years of age—the age of most fourth graders—based on research that indicates children ages 9–11 are at a unique developmental stage in their learning where they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways and they are more receptive to engaging with nature and the environment. By focusing on this age group year after year, the program aims to ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity to visit their Federal lands and waters by the time he or she is 11 years old, thereby establishing a lifelong connection to enjoy and protect our American outdoor heritage.
There are seven federal agencies participating in the Every Kid Outdoors Program. You can search for participating lands and waters (by agency) through the links below:
-
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/refuges/?ref=topbar
-
U.S. Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/index.html
-
National Park Service https://www.nps.gov
-
U.S. Bureau of Land Management https://www.blm.gov/visit
-
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation http://www.usbr.gov/recreation/
-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/
-
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers http://www.usace.army.mil
Comments
Since so much is closed they should extend the pass that was given to fourth graders this year to be used next year by them too!
We got to a couple parks but wanted to do more - any word on it being extended for kids who had the pass this school year??
We had planned a trip out west this summer to utilize my child's pass. However, some parks are still closed and we weren't comfortable traveling yet, so we had to cancel. Is there anyway this pass could be extended through next summer because of this unusual circumstance? Thank you for your consideration!
When can we print the new 2020-2021 passes? My brand new 4th grader just logged in to print her pass and it says it expires in two weeks.
We had a huge trip planned for late June through mid July 2020 to visit Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Wind Cave,Devils Tower, etc. We scheduled this to utilize the 4th grade pass. We elected to cancel our trip because tours and events we had already booked were cancelled. The campgrounds in the area we were booked closed to vistitors due to the need to house employees in a socially distant manner(understandably).
Will be be able to extend the expiration date on the 4th Grade Pass?
In the past, the 4th grade Every Kid in a Park ran from Sept 1 through Aug 31, with almost none issues before Labor Day. I would assume that you might be able to print the new year's passes Sept 1, or perhaps a day or 2 later depending on IT & CMS issues.
when I'm laggard I can't type well. https://www.nps.gov/kids/every-kid-outdoors.htm clearly states Sept 1 - Aug 31 for each year's passes. Out here where schools mostly start after Labor Day, very few passes are requested before Labor Day, and the previous year's passes expire just before it. If your school year starts later than Sept 1, or if you home school, you can still show up at a park to fill out a worksheet, or just use the online form Sept 1 https://everykidoutdoors.gov/fourth_graders.htm At least in previous years, parks give a temporary pass, and a more durable "real" pass is mailed within a week or 2. Enjoy your pass in not only National Parks, but National Forests that charge a parking or user fee!
Sherri Lynn-- I doubt that they'll extend 2019-2020 4th grade passes another year. They aren't doing that for the $80 annual passes, or park specific annual passes. But I also suspect that issue really isn't on anyone's radar as they scramble to do the best they can with parks serving the public in rapidly changing conditions.
They did: https://www.nps.gov/kids/fifthgrade.htm