With the start of the new school year, it’s also time for all fourth-graders and their families to claim their Every Kid in a Park pass which allows free entry into all federal parks, forests and recreation areas for a year.
Starting Sept. 1, fourth-graders can print out a voucher for free entry into all federal lands by visiting everykidinapark.gov. Students and their families can redeem the paper voucher for a plastic pass at any Forest Service office. The voucher and passes are valid through Aug. 31, 2017.
Teachers or adults who engage fourth-graders through a youth-serving organization can print paper passes and find activities and lesson plans at everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/educator.
More than 80 percent of American families live in urban areas, and many lack easy access to safe outdoor spaces. Children are spending more hours than ever in front of screens instead of outside. The Every Kid in a Park initiative encourages valuable opportunities to explore, learn and play in the spectacular places that belong to us all and aims to inspire future generations to serve as stewards of these places.
Research shows that children ages 9-11 are at a unique developmental stage in learning where they begin to understand how the world around them works in more concrete ways. By targeting fourth-graders, the program works to ensure every child in the U.S. has the opportunity to visit and enjoy their public lands by the time he or she is 11 years old.
The Pacific Northwest Region consists of 16 national forests, 59 district offices, a National Scenic Area, and a National Grassland comprising 24.7 million acres in Oregon and Washington and employing approximately 3,550 people.
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