Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyPHOENIX -- KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing play back into children’s lives, has named seven local communities “Playful City USA”.
Casa Grande, Chandler, Coolidge, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe, Tucson and Yuma each created a local “play taskforce” which involved members from the business, government, and community sectors.
Together, they implemented action plans to positively impact childhood wellness, public safety and the quality of life.
Each of the 2009 Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to the cause of play in the areas of quantity, quality and access.
1. Quantity relates to the number of usable, open playspaces.
2. Quality involves subjective factors that encourage repeated use and make playspaces engaging, exciting, interesting and fun.
3. Access entails the ability to get to a playspace (roads, trails) and a lack of barriers to the playspace (cost, safety, traffic, locked gates, equity).
Some of the highlights here locally of our Playful City USA Communities include
the Positive Lunch Activities for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) program in Casa Grande to increase play opportunities during lunch recess.
This program targets middle school students who are not obligated to enroll in more than one year of physical education class after sixth grade.
Chandler Community Services Department is in the process of building a new special use park called the Paseo Vista Recreation Area.
The 64-acre site, located on top of a former landfill, will soon be converted into a multi-purpose park.
Coolidge Parks and Recreation Department promotes recreation opportunities via the local public cable station, co-hosts quarterly meetings with local organizations to promote play and healthy living, and is promoting “Park of the Month” to highlight different parks and park amenities on the City website.
Gilbert’s land development code requires the building of open space, green belts, tot lots, and playgrounds in all new residential developments and all housing developments are required to link with established multi-modal trails allowing for access by pedestrian, bicycle or equestrian means.
Mesa developed The Fun and Fitness mobile program to bring the recreation experience to schools. The mobile unit has a large variety of recreation equipment, crafts, tables, and chairs as well as a sound system. The mobile unit is sent out three times each week during the school year to areas where the City previously offered after school sports.
Phoenix continues maintenance and improvement of over 300 playspaces in addition to its involvement with more than 200 school partnerships ranging from lighting contract agreements and after school programs to aquatic and skatepark facilities.
Tempe passed a $33 million bond that will allow the City to gather community input and renovate three parks per year. The Tempe Play Committee will also utilize the Trees for Tempe program to solicit donations of time and money to purchase and strategically plant trees at various playspaces to provide shade and maximize the amount of play time during the day.
KaBOOM! hopes you share their vision of a great place to play within walking distance of every child.
Playful City USA communities create best practices, like the ones above, to reach a similar goal.
They serve as role models for other communities and prove that enhancing children’s well-being by increasing the opportunity for play is an attainable goal for every community.
To learn more about the application process for Playful City USA 2010, please visit:
http://kaboom.org/
