Every Kid In a Park Initiative

Date: September 2, 2015
Contact: Anita Badertscher, 520-377-5060

New National Program Encourages Families and Classes to Visit National Parks

Tumacácori National Historical Park invites all 4^th grade students to visit the park for free as part of the White House’s new “Every Kid in a Park” program. Beginning today, 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 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 4^th graders, their classes, and families to our national treasures, places where they can run and play, explore and learn.”

Tumacácori offers a variety of activities that fourth graders and their families can enjoy, including such things as the popular self-guided Junior Ranger Seek and Find, walks to the Santa Cruz River along the Anza Trail, Junior Ranger Day, Family Sleepovers, StarrySaturday and Full Moon night programs, and the annual Fiesta de Tumacácori in December.

To receive their free pass for national parks, fourth graders can visit the Every Kid in a Park website (www.everykidinapark.gov) and play a game to access their special Every Kid in a Park pass voucher. Fourth graders and their families can then exchange this voucher at any national park for their free, one year pass. The pass will allow the fourth grader and his or her family free entrance to 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. Each year, Tumacácori offers a variety of exciting, hands-on, curriculum based programs for visiting school groups of all ages.

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.