Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Welcomes 4th Grade Students Through Every Kid In a Park

Date: September 4, 2015
Contact: Dana Dierkes, 559-565-3131

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks – Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 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 visit 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.

"This is an exciting opportunity for 4th graders and their families to explore and enjoy the national parks. We look forward to seeing you in the parks!” said Superintendent Woody Smeck of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

“During the National Park Service’s centennial celebration, we want everyone to get to know their national parks, and we’re offering a special invitation to fourth graders and their families to discover everything that national parks offer,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We hope these free passes for fourth graders will introduce 4th graders, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn.”
 
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks offer a variety of activities that fourth graders and their family can enjoy, including Junior Ranger programs and booklets, beginner hikes, picnicking, camping, and education programs for classes in the parks and in local classrooms.

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. Fourth grade teachers can schedule free curriculum-based classroom programs and field trips at www.nps.gov/seki/learn/education.

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