The Colorado National Monument Association has received a $5,000 award to support its work to connect elementary school students with local parks, public lands and waters.

The association is among the 2024 grantees of the Every Kid Outdoors small grants program. The National Park Trust developed the program in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.

The Colorado National Monument Association will use the funds to pay for bus transportation to bring school groups to Colorado National Monument for field trips. 

“The cost of field trips, including the expense of bus transportation, can affect whether teachers, students and their families are able to attend a field trip. This grant will help community students by improving elementary school access to Colorado National Monument,” said Johanna van Waveren, executive director of the Colorado National Monument Association. “We thank the National Park Trust for this opportunity and look forward to supporting fields trips for the 2024 school season.”

Field trips offer many benefits, van Waveren said. Learning in new settings and from different instructors can help students gain a better understanding of their learning preferences. Field trips to the Colorado National Monument foster personal connections to the Grand Valley’s unique natural environments, she said. Ranger-led
Colorado National Monument field trips are aligned to state and national academic science standards.

Since 2009, the National Park Trust has addressed the lack of transportation to outdoor spaces and one of the most significant barriers to getting children outdoors to experience nature. The Every Kid Outdoors program is designed to provide every fourth grader in the United States an opportunity to visit public lands and waters for free with their families.

For 2024, the National Park Trust and U.S. Forest Service awarded 41 grants worth a total of almost $155,000.

“The Forest Service believes every kid should have access to nature — whether it be a community park or a national forest. We are so proud to partner with the National Park Trust to provide families and school groups across the country with access to outdoor adventures,” said Melissa Taggart, an environmental education specialist with the U.S. Forest Service.