Parks awards special grants to get kids outside

Lots of research shows that getting kids active out in nature makes them happier, healthy and more successful in their lives.

Getting kids outdoors is the focus of Washington State Parks’ No Child Left Inside grant program, funded by the Legislature in 2015 to provide money for schools, community and environmental groups to use for outdoor education, recreation and leadership programs.

With help from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, in 2016, Washington State Parks awarded $940,000 in grants for 19 projects in 15 counties statewide. The funded projects benefit more than 8,000 children and youth. Examples include:

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  • Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ participation in Northwest Community Action Center's Outdoor Adventure Program, to provide outdoor experiences to youth with limited opportunities and access. Project snapshot.
  • Wenatchee River Institute’s summer camps for underserved youth. Project snapshot.
  • Kittitas Environmental Education Network’s Pond to Pines program, with outdoor summer camps, after-school programs and monthly school-year science field experiences, for kids K through 8th. Project snapshot.
  • North Cascades Institute’s Youth Leadership Adventures in the North, eight-day leadership courses for low-income and underserved youth. Benefits students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Project snapshot.

View program profiles (PDF) and photos for all the No Child Left Inside funded projects.