Playful City USA 2009

This afternoon, the City of Columbia is submitting its application to be recognized as a Playful City USA in the 2009 round of designations. Playful City USA is a national recognition program honoring cities and towns across America that are committed to taking action for play.

By ensuring the prominence of play on the community's agenda, Columbia's leaders hope to reap the benefits that will result from happier, smarter and healthier children--and from a stronger communities. In addition, designated Playful City USA communities will receive highway signs, awards and special incentive opportunities in honor of their 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 similar communities nationwide, and be recognized at national municipal leadership and recreation conferences.

Communities become designated as Playful City USA communities when they agree to meet five commitments--these will be reviewed in detail in this blog's next post.

Columbia is Getting Serious About Play!

The City of Columbia--and its citizens--has joined the National Campaign for Play (organized by a national organization with the remarkably playful name of KaBOOM!). This movement has begun to combat such social ills as childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder and violence among our nation’s children. Early this year, members of City staff and Alderman Mary Ellen Niemietz determined that this campaign would provide an excellent framework for mobilizing what will eventually become a parks & recreation department.

This small group created an inventory of playspaces and worked with the Public Works Department to identify the financial resources dedicated to them. In April, they were successful in convincing the City Council to adopt Resolution 13-2008, endorsing the Playful City USA campaign and committing the City’s support to that effort; they also began assembling a list of likely candidates for the Play Commission, the community-based group that would be tasked with making this city-wide commitment to play make real accomplishments.

On May 19th, the Play Commission was officially created with adoption of Resolution 02-2009. The Play Commission will soon be hard at work finalizing its action plan, and this blog will chronicle its achievements. The community has also launched a Facebook group to help gather public input and encourage involvement.