Today, more than 80 percent of American families live in urban areas.
At the same time, kids are spending more time than ever in front of screens instead of outside.
That was the impetus for President Obama’s “Every Kid in a Park” initiative. To support that effort, the National Parks Foundation is providing over $1 million in grants.
Sarah Zimmerman, Park Superintendent for First State Heritage Park says the goal is to get every fourth grader throughout the country into a National Park.
“And to make that possible, they have provided these transportation grants for schools so that every fourth grader who wants to go to a National Park from the Grand Canyon to First State National Historical Park will be eligible for those passes and grants,” she notes.
In the Spring, First State Heritage Park will partner with the First State National Historical Park for a series of preservation field trips to The Green in Dover.
“That is going to allow fourth graders from across the state to come and participate in a field day where they get to do activities covering archeology, architecture and historic preservation,” says Zimmerman.
The National Park Foundation’s grants are part of the National Parks Service Centennial celebration. The National Parks Service turns 100 in August.
