Play is a critical component of a child’s healthy development. Inequitable access to quality infrastructure that supports play is an issue that local leaders across the country are working to address. That’s why KABOOM! CEO, Lysa Ratliff, was at the Capitol to give Spark Awards to Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Congressman Don Bacon for being the lead sponsors of the PLAY Act. As KABOOM! celebrates its 30th year, KABOOM! is presenting Spark Awards to community leaders and partner organizations that have been pivotal in advancing playspace equity.
The PLAY Act (H.R. 6245) is a bipartisan piece of legislation that was originally introduced by Reps. Williams and Bacon to address the confusing–and sometimes contradictory–guidelines and requirements local governments have to navigate while pursuing federal funds for play infrastructure. The bill brings together all the different agencies that manage programs that can be used for the creation of new playspaces and directs them to work together to reduce bureaucratic barriers and contradictory requirements so that it’s easier for communities to access these funds. This bill doesn’t require any additional or new funding; instead, it focuses on reducing inefficiencies and siloed approaches across agencies so that it’s easier for local leaders to access and use the funding that already exists.
KABOOM!’s legislation is trying to address the challenge that many agencies’ programs weren’t intended to primarily support the building of new types of play infrastructure, even though municipalities see the need for federal investment. From the Community Development Block Grant program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program at the Department of the Interior and even the Community Facilities Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, each of these programs is able to fund playspace creation but aren’t often used because their different matching, eligibility, and timeline requirements for playspaces often make it difficult for municipalities to access them for that purpose.
The PLAY Act’s approach to this problem has the dual benefits of ensuring that more funding gets to local communities without adding new spending at the federal level while also giving local officials more control over how to best meet their needs with federal dollars. This aligns with KABOOM!’s philosophy of centering local voices while also braiding public and private funds together, so that we can invest more into our public infrastructure without straining government budgets.
Since its introduction in November of 2025, the PLAY Act has already picked up four additional co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. If you want to learn more about the bill or KABOOM!’s other government affairs efforts, be sure to visit our Policy & Advocacy webpage and consider making a donation to support our work on changing policies to make it easier for kids to get outside and play.
Learn More About Our Policy Work
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KABOOM! Supports Introduction of the Prioritizing Lifestyle and Activity for Youth (PLAY) Act by Representatives Don Bacon and Nikema Williams
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Washington, D.C. KABOOM!, the national nonprofit dedicated to ending playspace inequity, applauds Representatives Don Bacon (R-NE) and Nikema Williams (D-GA) for introducing the Prioritizing Lifestyle…
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Policy and Advocacy
The Public Policy and Advocacy group works with lawmakers and leaders at the federal, state, and local levels of government to mobilize their support for critical legislation and policies that serve to advance playspace equity.
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