GEORGIA AQUARIUM INC

Georgia Aquarium offers low income students access to our educational programs through the Sponsored Education Admissions (SEA) Program, which provides free admission to Georgia’s K-12 students at low income and Title I Schools. We believe that Georgia Aquarium plays a pivotal role in fostering an appreciation for aquatic conservation and animal welfare in all youths who experience our education programs. The instructor-led programs were designed in conjunction with teachers and educational administrators. The programs are aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards for each grade. Students admitted through the SEA Program are introduced to a broad array of concepts including Georgia’s local ecosystem as it relates to everyday consumption and community impact, aquatic animal care and current technology usage in ocean studies. It is our expectation that every child who comes through our doors will leave with expanded knowledge, and connect students’ Aquarium experience to future behavioral patterns, which undoubtedly creates an appreciable difference in the sustainability of our local environment. In addition to instructor-led programming during field trips, the SEA Program also provides free admission to many of the students participating in our current partnership with Atlanta Public Schools (APS). As part of this program, students from specific high schools within the APS system participate in a year-long program that includes visits from Georgia Aquarium staff of all different disciplines. At Georgia Aquarium, we believe it is critical to engage students, especially those from low income or Title I schools, in the tactile side of learning. Evidence has shown that students who attend our instructor-led programs perform better on annual testing and have a greater grasp of the material that relates to information covered in their sessions. Often times, the students who participate through our SEA Program are children that would not otherwise visit Georgia Aquarium or travel to places where they can see aquatic life first hand, thus making it even more important for them to be exposed to the world of water through these programs. To date, more than 400,000 children have participated in our education programs, with more than 25% having been admitted through Sponsored Education Admission. The SEA Program is funded entirely by private donors and grant makers.