KaBOOM!

Playful City USA is a national recognition program honoring cities and towns across the nation committed to taking action for play. Make your community a national role model, leading the way for play and growing the next generation of healthy and productive adults!


By ensuring the prominence of play on your community's agenda, you will soon reap the benefits that result from happier, smarter and healthier children as well as stronger communities. In addition, designated Playful City USA communities will:

• receive highway signs, awards and special incentive opportunities in honor of their Playful City USA status
  
  
• be included in a national media campaign and be provided local media support receive priority status in accessing all KaBOOM! resources including playground builds, trainings, and grants opportunities
  
  
• be given access to online resources and communication vehicles to keep them connected to Playful City USA communities nationwide
  
  
• be recognized at national municipal leadership and recreation conferences

[Back to Playful City USA home]

Communities become Playful City USA communities by meeting five commitments.

1. Create a local play commission task force [More]
   
   
2. Design an annual action plan for play [More]
   
   
3. Conduct a playspace audit of all publicly accessible play areas [More]
   
   
4. Identify current spending on capital projects and maintenance of playspaces [More]
   
   
5. Proclaim and celebrate an annual "KaBOOM! Play Day" [More]

Attention citizens: Get started in getting your community recognized by forming a play committee!

Five communities honored with Playful City USA designation in 2009 will receive an Imagination Playground in a BOX – the innovative playground collaboration between KaBOOM! and architect David Rockwell! [More]

In 2004, St. Petersburg, Fla. (pop. 252,246), launched “Play 'N' Close to Home,” a public/private partnership to build playgrounds within a half-mile of every child. To date, this partnership with schools and houses of worship has increased the number of playspaces by 20 percent. [11 more]