Best Practices in Play

In municipalities across America, engaged citizens and civic leaders are actively seeking innovative ways to improve the accessibility, quality, and quantity of play and play spaces for children. To help cities build awareness & political capital and develop a policy on play, KaBOOM! identified 12 relevant and innovative best practices in play.

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Learn more about specific best practices:

Nonprofit Innovation    |    Mayoral Champions     |    Public Private Partnership
Recommendations and Play Policy

Nonprofit Innovation

	Learning Landscapes (pdf) Denver, CO Mobilizing community, connecting schools to neighborhoods		The Switch® Program (pdf) Cedar Rapids, IA Changing critical health behaviors, measuring and incentivizing healthy habits
	The Freiker Program (pdf) Boulder, CO Technology-based program, rewarding physical activity, increasing bike trips to school		Playworks (formerly Sports4Kids) (pdf) Baltimore, MD Improving student behavior, changing school culture, programming school recess

Mayoral Champions

	Joint-Use Agreements with Tucson Unified School District (pdf) Tucson, AZ Reducing maintenance costs, conducting play space safety audits		Play ‘N’ Close to Home (pdf) St. Petersburg, FL Increasing play space within walking distance
	Boston Schoolyard Initiative (pdf) Boston, MA Reconstructing schoolyards, improving green spaces, engaging community

Public Private Partnership

	Joint-Use Agreements with Home Owners Associations (pdf) Greenbelt, MD Increasing playground access, improving maintenance		Governing Through Citizen Engagement (pdf) Ankeny, IA Engaging stakeholders, creating master plans, securing donors
	ParkScan and the Playground Report Card (pdf) San Francisco, CA Computer-based mapping and data collection		Streets as Places to Play (pdf) New York, NY Developing strategic alliances, expanding playable space
	High Point Housing Project (pdf) Seattle, WA Integrating government agency plans, successful play spaces in mixed income community

Recommendations and Play Policy

Recommendations and Play Policy (pdf) Initiative Process Recommendations Play Policy Recommendations National Play Policy in the 21st Century