“It’s one thing to buy it, but it’s another thing to provide public access to it,” he said.
“We want to make sure we find ways to bring young people up into that space.”
The nine elementary schools that will be involved in the program are in the southern and eastern portions of the city and have significant levels of poverty, according to the school district.
The grant program, which is titled “Walk on the Wild Side,” will consist of two distinct parts.
In one component, fourth-graders from participating schools will take part indaylong science field trips in the park.
There, students will learn about concepts in earth and life science that are part of the state education content standards for children in that grade level, Stirdivant said.
For instance, students can learn about erosion by seeing its effects in the park itself, or about rocks and minerals by seeing various kinds of them up close in the park, he said.
In the second component, elementary school students who participate in the state-funded After School Education and Safety Program will use the park to learn about outdoor skills, teamwork and respecting nature, Stirdivant said.
Alice Petrossian, the school district’s outgoing assistant superintendent for elementary education, said she was proud to see the city and school district work together to create a program that was aligned with students’ science content standards.
“It was an excellent opportunity for the city and the schools to partner,” she said.
The program will help students and families better understand their options for recreation in and around the city, she said.
The city plans to use the state funds and its own matching funds to hire a full-time naturalist, and perhaps two other part-time parks employees, to lead the new programs, Stirdivant said.
The funds will also be used for educational materials to go with the programs and buses to take students to the park.
“We will pay for the district to bring the kids up to the park and back,” he said.
Because the Parks Department will be affected by budget cuts recently approved by the City Council, the city is looking to pay for its matching portion of the grant through outside sources, such as foundations or other state grants, said George Chapjian, director of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.
The city applied for the grant in the fall to facilitate youth using the park.
