For Immediate Release
September 6, 2017
Contact: Jackie Ostfeld, 202-548-6584; contact@outdoorsallianceforkids.org
The Every Kid in a Park Program Turns Three
4th graders encouraged to get outdoors; legislation introduced to make program permanent
Washington, D.C.–The third year of the Every Kid in a Park program kicks off this month with the launch of the 2017-18 school year. Through public-private partnerships, the program provides fourth graders and their families with free entry to America’s national public lands, waters, and shores. Children, parents and guardians, and educators can visit www.everykidinapark.gov to learn more and download the new pass.
Earlier this summer, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Every Kid Outdoors Act to ensure the program lives on for years to come.
In response, Jackie Ostfeld, Chair of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, issued the following statement:
“The Every Kid in a Park program is inspiring a new generation to get out and explore America’s great outdoors. At a time when children and youth are increasingly sedentary and disconnected from nature, programs like Every Kid provide entry points for our youth to play, get active, and learn about the outdoors. The program is a low-cost and popular public-private partnership that helps boost local economies while improving our children’s health and connections to nature. In the program’s first year, more than two million fourth graders downloaded the Every Kid pass. Over the first two years, nearly $5 million in private funding has been leveraged to support transportation costs for children from low-income schools across America.
“The Outdoors Alliance for Kids praises the National Park Service, US Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies for continuing the program for the 2017-18 school year. To ensure the Every Kid in a Park program continues to encourage and support fourth graders to get outdoors beyond the current school year, OAK seeks passage of the bipartisan and bicameral Every Kid Outdoors Act to formally establish the program for all fourth graders, present and future.”
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About the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK): OAK is a national strategic partnership of organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth and families with the outdoors. The members of OAK are brought together by the belief that the wellness of current and future generations, the health of our planet and communities and the economy of the future depend on humans having a personal, direct and life-long relationship with nature and the outdoors. OAK brings together nearly 100 businesses and organizations to address the growing divide between children, youth and the outdoors.
Every Kid in a Park Alumni explain why they love the program
Photo Credit: National Park Trust
Outdoors Alliance for Kids 