NPS Photo Overview for Educators and KidsNational Parks are America's largest classrooms. We offer several programs for educators and kids at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. The current options are listed below with more details provided in the collapsible sections.
The Educational Programs We Offer
By visiting Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthplace and lifelong home, students gain insight into the private life of an influential, wartime president and how his experiences in Hyde Park affected both his political and personal decisions. A trip to our site consists of a guided tour of the Home of FDR, a guided tour of the FDR Library & Museum, and a classroom program in the visitor center. The National Park Service operates the home tour portion of the experience. Tours of the home are limited to 25 people, so if your school group consists of more than 25 people including chaperones, we will split them into smaller groups. The smaller groups will be rotated through the home, the nearby disability exhibit, and the gravesite.
Reservations for both the FDR Library and NPS educational programs are arranged by the special events coordinator of the FDR Library. Contact the coordinator using the phone number or email address below. Reservations should be made at least 2 weeks in advance. Read about the Education Programs offered by the staff of the FDR Library and National Archives.
The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt has a Junior Ranger program designed for children ages 6-15. The handbook and badge are available at the front desk of the Wallace Center upon request. This activity is free for all ages! Please email the education division at ROVA_Education@nps.gov for a downloadable Home of FDR Junior Ranger book.
The Ranger In A Classroom program can send a National Park Service Ranger to your classroom to teach a lesson on the National Park Service, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students will learn about important parks around the country such as the Vanderbilt Mansion and get an in-depth look at Eleanor Roosevelt's humanitarian efforts which expanded on her husband's vision for the United Nations. This program is available to all 4th and 5th grade classrooms. The visiting NPS ranger will bring a digital presentation and a video to share with the class.
Ranger programs are available by reservation only. Requests must be received 2 weeks prior to the intended visit. To make a reservation for the Ranger In A Classroom program, please fill out the following form: Ranger In A Classroom - Request FormEvery Kid Outdoors allows U.S. fourth graders and family members free access to over 2,000 federal lands and waters so you can discover our wildlife, resources, and history. Every Kid Outdoors creates crucial connections to public lands and inspires a future generation of stewards for America's spectacular national parks and other public lands.
Due to a generous grant from the National Park Foundation, the Home of FDR may be able to cover transportation expenses to our site from your school. If you are an educator for a school within a 50 mile radius of Hyde Park, NY, this grant could benefit you. Please contact the education division at ROVA_Education@nps.gov for more details.
Occassionally, rangers will provide special programs with family-friendly content highlighting the grounds and stories of the Roosevelts. These unique programs will beadvertised on our social media accounts. Please keep a watch on our Facebook and Instagram accounts at the following links: |
Last updated: June 29, 2026