The History of No Child Left Inside®
Launched in 2006, No Child Left Inside® is a promise to introduce children to the wonder of nature – for their own health and well-being, for the future of environmental conservation, and for the preservation of the beauty, character and communities of the great State of Connecticut.
Today’s children have become disconnected from nature – or more prophetically as author Richard Louv writes – are suffering from "nature deficit disorder." Instead of spending endless hours outside riding bikes and climbing tress – i.e. being kids – they are playing video games, surfing the web, watching TV, texting and watching reels. The No Child Left Inside® initiative provides the necessary opportunity for children and their families to unplug from technology and unearth the vast opportunities that Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests have to offer.
The No Child Left Inside® Pledge
We hope to engage Connecticut residents with the mission of this program, and we welcome participants to take the No Child Left Inside® pledge:
I pledge to defend the right of all children and every family to play in a safe outdoor environment. I will encourage and support opportunities for them to exercise their right by:
- Splashing in clean water and breathing clean air
- Digging and planting seeds in healthy soil and watching what grows
- Climbing a tree and rolling down a grassy hill
- Skipping a stone across a pond and learning to swim
- Following a trail and camping under the stars
- Catching a fish, listening to songbirds and watching an eagle in flight
- Discovering wildlife in their backyard
- Soaking in the beauty of a sunrise and sunset
- Finding a sense of place and wonder in this ecosystem we call Earth
- Becoming part of the next generation of environmental stewards.
Continue scrolling to learn more about the current programs that we offer.
Families in the Parks Program
The Great Park Pursuit Family Adventure Program was the first program offered through No Child Left Inside®. Since then, the program has evolved in a changing world, expanding to different areas of the state, reaching more families and youth; which has enabled the extension of the season and locations of activities, events and programs. Multiple bureaus and divisions within the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) now participate in order to provide youth and families with a variety of outdoor experiences. The program actively engages diverse communities to ensure that opportunities are offered to all. All Connecticut youth and their families can take advantage of the wide variety of FREE, fun and educational outdoor recreational opportunities offered by this program, such as Boating, Camping, Family Days in the Park, Fishing, Hiking, Nature Centers, Historic Building and Museums, StoryWalk® Programs, a Wildlife Day and much more. We encourage families to enjoy time together; reconnect with the outdoors, nature and each other.
We encourage families to enjoy as many of these free activities, events and programs between the months of February and November each year. Families looking for an additional challenge can also participate in our annual Sky's the Limit Hiking Challenge.
NCLI's Families in the Park Program will continue to get our families outside exploring, playing, learning, and reading outdoors in our Connecticut State Parks and Forests, or inside our nature centers and museums.
NCLI activities, events and programs will be listed on our calendar of events. Our 2026 calendar of events is still being finalized with additional programs. Please regularly check the CT State Parks Calendar of Events, DEEP State Parks Facebook page and DEEP State Parks Instagram page for additional programs as they are added.
The NCLI 2026 Kick-off Event will be the Annual Winter Festival in partnership with Fish with CARE (Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education). This event will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 10 am to 3 pm at Burr Pond State Park in Torrington, CT. For more information, visit the Winter Festival event page.
