Valley Forge National Historical Park Welcomes 4th Grade Students Through Every Kid In a Park Initiative

Ranger Bill Troppman in Continental Soldier attire teaches children about soldier life at the spring 2015 Home School Day.

NPS Photo.

News Release Date: September 1, 2015

Contact: David Rosehill, 610-783-1013

King of Prussia –Valley Forge National Historical Parkinvites all 4^th grade students to visit the park as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. Starting September 1, 4^th grade students can go to www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

"During the National Park Service's centennial celebration, we want everyone to get to know Valley Forge, and we're offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that Valley Forge has to offer," said Valley Forge National Historical Park Superintendent Kate Hammond. "We hope to introduce 4^th graders, their classes, and families to Valley Forge, a place where they can run and play, explore and learn."

To receive their free pass for national parks, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website and play a game to access their special Every Kid in a Park pass. Fourth graders and their families can then use this pass for free entry national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from September 1st, 2015 through August 31, 2016.The website also includes fun and engaging learning activities aligned to educational standards, trip planning tools, safety and packing tips and other important and helpful information for educators and parents.

In addition to providing every fourth grader in America a free entry pass for national parks and federal public lands and waters, fourth grade educators, youth group leaders and their students across the country will also participate in the program through field trips and other learning experiences. Field trip programs will be offered at Valley Forge Monday through Friday, October through December of 2015 and March through May, 2016. In January and February of 2016 programs will be offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

This year's schedule includes 48 additional program days over previous years in order to provide more learning opportunities for children. The National Park Foundation is partnering with the National Park Service to provide transportation funds for classroom visits to the park.

In addition to the expanded offerings in the park, new lesson plans will be available for teachers to use in the classroom.

The park's teacher on summer staff (Teacher-Ranger-Teacher) has designed a guided activity for educators to use to lead their students on explorations of the historic sites of the park.These activities are designed for students at different levels, so that teachers can choose a level of vocabulary ideal for fourth graders as well as primary and secondary students.

Home School Days with a variety of experiential Education Stations are offered twice a year, October and April. Registration for Home School Day on October 7 is now open on our website.

Visit the Valley Forge Education Webpage for education opportunities and to register.

The goal of the Every Kid in a Park program is to connect 4th graders with the great outdoors and inspire them to become future environmental stewards, ready to preserve and protect national parks and other public lands for years to come.The program is an important part of the National Park Service's centennial celebration in 2016, which encourages everyone to Find Your Park.

Every Kid in a Park is an administrative-wide effort, launched by President Obama, and supported by eight federal agencies, including the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Education, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

www.nps.gov

About Valley Forge National Historical Park. Valley Forge was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of George Washington's Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation and honors the ability of citizens to pull together and overcome adversity during extraordinary times. For more information about the park, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/vafo or call 610-783-1099. Follow Valley Forge on social media: Facebook.com/ValleyForgeNHP, Twitter @ValleyForgeNHP, and Instagram @ValleyForgePark and share your photos and experiences.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.