The EcoTarium in Worcester, MA doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. What it does list is a school group rate: $12 per person for groups of 10 or more students from a PreK-12 school, with free admission for chaperones up to the required ratio.
If you’re planning a class trip, that group rate and the booking steps below are what apply to you. If you’re a teacher visiting with family, the admission discounts further down are the ones the museum lists, and teachers aren’t among them.
How To Get The EcoTarium Teacher Discount
There isn’t a teacher ID discount to claim at the front desk, so the route is a group reservation. The group visits page says that with advance reservations, the EcoTarium offers discounted admission for most groups of 10 or more individuals, or 5 or more for preschool-age groups or groups serving youths with disabilities. School groups means all groups from a public or private PreK-12 school, or an accredited Early Education and Care Program, visiting during regular school or class time. They pay $12 per person for 10+ students. Chaperones get free admission up to the EcoTarium required ratio, and chaperones beyond the ratio pay $12 per person.
The required ratios are 1 adult chaperone for every 5 visitors of preschool age and below, 1 for every 8 visitors in grades K-5, and 1 for every 10 visitors in grades 6-12. For groups of individuals with disabilities, it’s 1 group leader for every 5 group members.
To reserve, the page lists a reservation request form, a phone number of 508.929.2700 and the email reservations@ecotarium.org. All students, teachers and chaperones must be included in the group reservation and paid for by one person by check, cash or credit card. When possible, a non-refundable deposit of 50% is due four weeks before the visit, final attendance is due two weeks before, and the remaining balance is due on the day of the visit. Purchase orders are only accepted for on-site field trip programs and must be submitted for the full amount at least four weeks before the visit, and all fees are non-refundable.
Add-Ons And Early Entry
The page lists a few extras. On-site school and group programs are $8 per person for PreK-8 or by request, with a minimum of 20 participants. The Alden Planetarium add-on is $6 per person for 10+ people. If your group wants to arrive before 10:00 am and has no scheduled program before then, an additional early admission fee of $75 applies.
The page also says EcoTarium membership, promotional coupons and library passes can’t be used toward group general admission, free admission or add-on fees.
Home School And Other Groups
Home school groups aren’t in the school group tier. The page puts them under non-school groups, along with after school programs, day care, parks and recreation groups, summer camps, scout groups, college groups, family reunions, adult groups and senior groups, at $14 per person for 10+ people. If you teach a home school co-op, that’s the rate to ask about.
The Field Trip Promotion
The bottom of the group visits page advertises 10% off admission for field trips taking place between Labor Day and an end date late in the year. The page prints no year, so check with the reservations team that the window applies to the trip you’re planning.
Visiting On Your Own
The visit page lists its admission discounts, and none of them is for teachers. Members visit for free and can apply the cost of paid admission toward the cost of a membership. A student discount takes $6 off admission with a valid student ID, and a senior discount takes $6 off for each senior age 65+. AAA takes $2 off admission for up to a total of 4 family members. The page also says parking is always free.
On memberships, the membership page has an answer about daycare programs that says no discounts are allowed on that multiple-membership purchase, and its list of examples includes teachers.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The pages we read don’t say whether a teacher with a school group counts as a chaperone for free admission or pays the $12, only that teachers must be included in the group reservation. They also don’t list a teacher discount, an educator ID program or a rate for a teacher visiting alone. For any of those, the reservations team at 508.929.2700 is the one to ask.
Q&A
Does the EcoTarium give teachers a discount?
The pages we read don’t list one for individual teachers. They list a school group rate of $12 per person for 10+ students.
Are chaperones free?
Up to the required ratio, yes. Chaperones beyond the ratio pay $12 per person.
How many chaperones does a school group need?
1 adult for every 5 visitors of preschool age and below, 1 for every 8 in grades K-5, and 1 for every 10 in grades 6-12.
What do home school groups pay?
The page lists $14 per person for 10+ people under non-school groups.
How do I book?
Use the reservation request form, call 508.929.2700 or email reservations@ecotarium.org. The balance is due on the day of the visit, with one person paying for the whole group.
More Information:
The details above come from the EcoTarium’s own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
