San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Youth Group and “Other Students” Field Trip Policy
- SDZWA Youth Groups and Other Student Groups are defined as students visiting for non-curriculum based excursions. Students must comprise a minimum of 50% of group to qualify for Youth Group rates. All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age.
- “Other Students” are defined as Schools outside Southern California and in US national and international locations.
All Youth Groups and “Other Students” wishing to participate in any SDZWA Youth Group Programs must request a reservation first. Reservation requests are subject to prior approval by SDZWA. SDZWA only books directly with schools, youth group organizations, travel tour operators and authorized school representatives, not third-party proxies.
Note: SDZWA reserves the right to grant reservations, revoke reservations, and make exceptions and/or changes in their sole opinion
Homeschool/Charter School Policy
Homeschools/charter schools must meet youth group and “other student” group requirements to participate in the SDZWA Field Trip program.
Additional options for homeschools/charter schools include:
- Purchase a membership and come at your leisure
- Visit during Kids Free Month in October where all kids aged 11 and under are free, no reservation required. NOTE: Youth over the age of 11 do not qualify for Kids Free promotion.
Sibling Policy
Siblings are defined as any child not enrolled in the specific grade level that has RSVP’d for the Field Trip.
Sibling participation in SDZWA field trips are not permitted. Any exceptions to this policy must be requested in advance and are subject to prior approval by Education Department SDZWA Yyouth Ggroup sales Ddepartment. If approved for exception, siblings aged 3 and older must pay the posted admission rate or use a membership to gain entry.
Field Trip Reservation Policy
Reservations are required at least 4 weeks in advance. Limited spaces are available, first come first served. Reservations are only considered confirmed with an SDZWA provided confirmation number. Any requests made within 4 weeks of the group visit date is subject to a late fee of $75 booking fee.
Head Count: Participant count section of confirmation page must be completed before entry and the entire group on the reservation must enter at the same time. Different entry times are unable to be accommodated for one reservation.
Tickets: Admission Tickets will only be provided once group is present, counted and paid in full. Tickets may not be repurposed or up charged.
Payments: Only ONE form of payment per reservation on day of the field trip will be accepted. Payment must be in the form of a credit card, purchase order (PO), or cash. Once paid, no refunds will be issued, and all payments are final. Field trips are a rain or shine event.
Applying Membership Towards Field Trip Admissions: Valid memberships can be used in conjunction with field trip reservations. All passes must be collected before the check-in process, separated into “adult” and “child” bundles, and presented along with the participant count section and form of payment at time of group check-in. Members must show ID and membership card upon entry.
Group Size Requirements
- A Minimum of 15 participants per group is required.
- 72 participants per classroom per reservation is allowed.
- A Maximum of 150 participants per school, per reservation is allowed unless special arrangements are made in advance via .
- All Groups sizes of 500 or more are subject to approval by SDZWA Youth Group Department.
Chaperone Policy
- A Minimum of 1 chaperone :10 students - required.
- Chaperones over 1 chaperone:10 students - charged at applicable rates*
- Chaperone ratios over 1 chaperone:1 student - not eligible for the Field Trip Program rates.
- Teachers and aides must be included in the chaperone count.
- All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age.
