The New Mexico State Parks Division is proud to bring you the eighteenth year of the Kids ‘n Parks Transportation Grants, a component of the highly successful New Mexico Outdoor Classroom Program (OCP). Kids ‘n Parks gives teachers the opportunity to take their students on field trips to a
New Mexico State Park, where hands-on, minds-on experiences introduce and reinforce the standards and benchmarks being taught in the classroom. State Parks pays the transportation costs of such field trips, fully or in part.
Please read ALL of the following before submitting your form.
ELIGIBILITY
- Trips must be to a New Mexico State Park. Please visit https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/ for more information on NM State Parks. This is an absolute requirement.
- Applicant must be an employee of a public or public-charter school within a recognized New Mexico school district.
- Grades K-12 are eligible.
- Applicants must coordinate with a staff member at their chosen State Park to discuss available dates and program options BEFORE submitting an application. This will be verified during the grant review process and applicants who fail to do this will be ineligible.
- The field trip must correlate to classroom study and must meet one or more performance standard(s) from at least two (2) benchmarks from one or (ideally) more content areas.
- Trips must be completed by the end of the school year.
APPLICATION TIPSOur desire is to form lasting partnerships with schools and teachers in order to provide teachers with consistent program planning support and to continue to evaluate the benefits of the OCP. We encourage previous recipients to apply, including teachers from other grade levels from those same schools. First-time applicants who are willing to make a long-term commitment are also encouraged to apply. Be aware that funding for this program is VERY limited and we will NOT be able to award grants to all applications. The strongest applications will be those that most clearly link classroom study with the proposed field trip and include a transportation quote. Both overall cost and cost per student will be factors: grants typically range from $200 - $1000.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
1. Contact the State Park that you would like to visit and that will best meet your learning goals and confirm available dates for your trip.
https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/ Applications to Rio Grande Nature Center SP must also include the Group Program Request Form linked on the Park's site (email a copy of the completed form to margaret.price@aps.edu ):
https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/rio-grande-nature-center-state-park/2. Obtain a written quote from your local transportation provider. You
MUST submit a copy of this quote to margaret.price@aps.edu immediately after filling out this application, or your application
will not be considered. Please supply a precise quote. This will help us serve as many schools as possible with the available funds.
3. Fill out and submit this Kids ‘n Parks digital application form in full no later than Nov 14 2025. Your response will automatically recorded and received, and you'll receive an emailed copy of your responses as well.
Please e-mail Maggie with any questions at margaret.price@aps.edu (preferred) or call at 505-281-5259 x0.
4. Applicants will receive notification before Thanksgiving.
Submission deadline: November 14 2025
