As municipal and thought leaders from around the country gather in Baltimore to chart a path to ensure all children get the play they need to thrive, one such leader, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, will be awarded the inaugural Playful City USA Leadership Award for his substantial investments in play.
“Cities are critical drivers for achieving play outcomes and most play-focused infrastructure investment, policies and programming happen at the local level. That is why we give special recognition to municipal leaders who prioritize play,” said Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!, at the 2013 Playful City USA Leaders’ Summit, sponsored by the Humana Foundation. “I am delighted to recognize Mayor Rahm Emanuel for championing play throughout the great city of Chicago, with the first Playful City USA Leadership Award.”
“Thank you KaBOOM! and Humana for this honor. Five years from now, every child in the City of Chicago will be within a seven minute walk from a new park in our city,” said Emanuel in a video address to the crowd. “In addition to what we’re doing with our playgrounds and parks throughout our city, we added an hour an 15 minutes to every school day, and we also added two weeks to every school year,” he continued. “Our kids no longer have to choose reading or recess.”
“Through multiple investments, Chicago is increasing access to playgrounds and other play spaces, while also dedicating more time for kids to play, both in and out of school,” continued Hammond. “Mayor Emanuel is working in partnership with agencies, foundations, corporations, and other key stakeholders, to give all children in Chicago the childhood they deserve, and is a shining example and inspiration to others.”
Chicago’s investments in play in schools include:
- Guaranteed every public elementary school student in the city a 45-minute lunch and recess to relax, re-boot and return to the classroom ready to learn.
- Helping to develop 60 learning gardens, using $1 million in NATO legacy funds, which provide students with play spaces in their school communities while offering them hands-on nutrition and science education opportunities.
- To increase time for play and physical activity during the school day, Chicago Public Schools, with support from the Healthy Schools Campaign, set new guidelines and requirements for students in nutrition education and physical activity by updating the Local School Wellness policy.
- Chicago received $4.4 million over two years from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support implementation of Healthy CPS (Chicago Public Schools), a component of the Mayor’s Healthy Chicago initiative, the city’s first multi-agency public health agenda.
Play is critical to the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative development of children. However, a healthy balance of active play is falling victim to TV, video games, structured schedules, declining recess time, and a lack of access to safe play spaces. Initiatives like those being implemented in Chicago are critical to ensuring that all kids get the childhood they deserve.