DINGMANS FERRY, Pa. — The Pocono Environmental Education Center has received a grant from the National Park Foundation to expand opportunities for elementary school students to learn about nature at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The Open Outdoors for Kids grant will support field trip programs for about 4,000 students from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to PEEC.

PEEC and staff from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area plan to offer local teachers a range of place-based programs, including forest ecology, geology and soils, watershed studies, wildlife, winter ecology, interpretive hikes, night hikes and astronomy.

The grant comes in response to growing demand for field trips at the national recreation area.

Programs include pre-trip orientations, classroom and field-trip activities, and post-visit assessments. PEEC says the courses align with academic standards while also providing opportunities for social-emotional learning.

The National Park Foundation is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. Its Open Outdoors for Kids initiative supports projects that introduce young students to national parks and expand educational experiences connected to what they are learning in school.

PEEC is a nonprofit environmental education center located within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area between Milford and Bushkill, Pennsylvania. The organization focuses on environmental education, sustainable living and appreciation for nature through hands-on experiences in a national park.