Outstanding News! State will Double Funds for Program that Spurred 750 Field Trips in First Year – Successful Program Increased Number of Students that Came to the Jay Estate and saw “Striving For Freedom.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced New York State has doubled the funding for its Connect Kids to Parks field trip grant program, increasing from $500,000 to $1 million to support more educational visits to state parks, historic sites and public lands including the Jay Estate in Rye. The Connect Kids to Parks field trip grant program offers state grants to public schools in Title 1 districts throughout New York State to fund field trips to state parks and historic sites for environmental, historical and physical education programming. In its first year, the program funded nearly 750 field trips, serving nearly 30,000 public school children from Title 1 school districts throughout the state.
“This program creates opportunities for many young New Yorkers to expand their horizons and explore the unparalleled natural beauty of state parks in every corner of this state,” Governor Cuomo said. “Building upon our past success, we will continue to introduce more New York youth to the world-class parks in their own backyards and help connect the next generation of environmental stewards to the great outdoors.”
Applications for year two will be available on July 1. Funding for Connect Kids to Parks Field Trip Grant program comes from the state Environmental Protection Fund’s enhanced Environmental Justice programming approved in the 2017-18 State Budget. Information on the grant program is available here.