President signs bill making all national parks free for fourth-grade students into law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The president today signed into law a bill that contained language originally introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) to extend a popular national parks program that allows U.S. fourth-grade students, and their families, to visit any of the nation's national parks or federal public lands for free.

"Children are our future," DeGette said. "Research shows that if we can get them interested in our national parks and public lands now, they are much more likely to become good stewards of these national treasures later on down the road."

The language, which was included in a larger public lands bill the president signed today, will keep in place, for at least the next seven years, the ‘Every Kid in a Park' program that U.S. Department of the Interior first established in 2015 to encourage children and their families to visit America's public lands.

The ‘Every Kid in a Park' program allows U.S. fourth-grade students to print a pass online and present it to a park ranger for free entry into any of the more than 2,000 federally managed lands and waters throughout the nation. The pass also grants free entry to up to three adults and any other children under the age of 16 who are visiting with that fourth-grade student.

In the program's first year alone, more than two million fourth-grade students downloaded the ‘Every Kid in a Park' pass that they can use to explore any of the nation's parks and waterways for free.

Research shows that children ages nine to 11 are beginning to learn about the world around them and are most likely to connect with nature and our history. Research also shows that time spent outdoors increases physical and mental health, improves academic performance and encourages public lands stewardship.