Mount Rainier National Park Welcomes 4th Grade Students through Every Kid in a Park Initiative

Date: September 5, 2015
Contact: Kathy Steichen, 360-569-6562

Ashford, WA — Mount Rainier National Park invites all 4th grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House's new Every Kid in a Park program. Fourth grade students can now go to www.everykidoutdoors.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks. 

"Mount Rainier is a special place for many people and in the National Park Service's centennial year we especially want to invite all fourth grade students and their families to explore this park," said Randy King, Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent. "We are also reaching out to area fourth grade teachers to encourage classroom visits to the park in the coming year."

Mount Rainier can be visited throughout the year and visitors should travel prepared for any type of weather condition. The park offers a variety of activities including junior ranger and citizen ranger programs, education programs for schools, guided walks with rangers, campground evening programs, and winter guided snowshoe walks. Details about special programs that are being planned for next summer's National Park Service Centennial celebration will be found on the park's website.

To receive their free pass for national parks, fourth graders can visit 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 to national parks and other federal public lands and waters across the country from September 1, 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 grade student 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. For more information, please contact the park's Education Specialist, Fawn Bauer by email or 360-569-6591.

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