In February 2015, President Barack Obama announced that fourth graders across the country—and their families—will receive free admission to America’s national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests and other federal lands and waters for a full year.
The move comes during the 50th anniversary of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) in 2015, and as part of the National Park Service’s 100th birthday in 2016. Beginning in September 2015, fourth graders can sign up online to receive a voucher that grants entrance to the student and a carload of passengers to federal recreation areas for a year.
“Thanks to our public-private partnerships, we are able to open up a world of experiential learning in our nation’s largest classrooms – our national parks,” said Dan Wenk, president of the National Park Foundation. “Every Kid in a Park will enhance this important work and will give many youth and their families the opportunity to explore our national parks for the first time.”
You can start planning your next adventure by visiting the National Park Service website and using the Find a Park tool. Select a park from the drop-down list or choose a state from the map. With more 400 parks to choose from, you can get a little help picking one when you check out the featured events or search the calendar by state, park and dates.
Need some additional inspiration? Check out this article, with national park vacation ideas for whatever sort of adventure your family likes best. From Everglades National Park to Mount Rushmore National Memorial to the Petrified Forest National Park, there are so many places waiting to be discovered!
For more information about the program, visit http://www.nationalparks.org/ook/every-kid-in-a-park.
