Every Kid Outdoors! An amazing program for 4th grade students

Parents, Teachers, 4th-graders…listen up!

Summer is almost here, and we think there is no better way to spend your break than enjoying the great outdoors.

I don’t know how we haven’t heard of this program until today! In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Interior in partnership with other federal agencies, funded a program for 7 years that provides every US 4th grade student (or home school equivalent) with an America the Beautiful annual pass. The program runs from September 1 – August 31 every year. This pass provides free access for the lucky 4th grader and their family and/or friends (number of people depends on the site). The current program, Every Kid Outdoors (formerly Every Kid in a Park est. 2015) is available through August 31, 2025. There is talk of an extension that would go through 2031, so we hope that this program continues!

Parents & Teachers – take a look at the rules here and have your 4th graders apply!

Participating Agencies:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/refuges/?ref=topbar
• U.S. Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/index.html
• National Park Service https://www.nps.gov
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management https://www.blm.gov/visit
• U.S. Bureau of Reclamation http://www.usbr.gov/recreation/
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers http://www.usace.army.mil

Shout out to the Konikow family for letting us know about this program! Their 4th grader completed the quick questionnaire online and they exchanged the paper voucher for a special edition America the Beautiful pass during their recent visit to Acadia National Park.

Whether your summer vacation includes a visit to one of our countries 63 National Parks, camping in a National Forest, taking a walk in your local wildlife preserve, or paddling in a national marine sanctuary, make sure to grab your America the Beautiful pass!