Field Trip Planning Resources

Field trips have the power to help students make real-world connections to their learning and memories that last a lifetime. Field trips are an important piece of expanded learning time, one of the four core features of community schools.

Field trips that are fully or partially funded from the community school budget need to be pre-approved by the OCS Program Manager. Below are resources for lead CBOs planning a field trip and information on the process to get the necessary pre-approval. Please also refer to the guidance in the OCS fiscal manual that is relevant to your funding source.

Below is a timeline for how far in advance you should request approval, and the goal turnaround time:

Please refer to these resources below to aid your planning: OCS Field Trip Guide, OCS Field Trip Destination Ideas, and OCS Field Trip Pre-Approval Request Form. Click the document icons or the blue resource buttons to access the documents.

This Field Trip Guide serves as a jumping off point to assist you in planning field trip destinations near you, drafting high-quality lesson plans, and navigating operational logistics. You will also find answers to FAQs.

This is a collection of high quality field trip destinations sortable by borough, audience, or topic. This list is meant to be a sampling, and by no means exhaustive nor an endorsement of any particular location. CBOs may also contact their OCS Program Manager to suggest trip destinations to be added to this list.

Download a Word copy of the OCS Field Trip Pre-Approval Request Form, complete it, and email it to your OCS Program Manager.