KaBOOM!
Making Playtime Accessible
Grommet Launch Conversation
Grommet Launch Conversation
The launch day conversation has ended. Please direct further questions about this Grommet to our Community Experience Team.

Grommet Launch Conversation
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Hi, I’m the CEO of KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that seeks to give children the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. I’m excited to share our story here on The Grommet and look forward to sharing more about the important work we do.
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Play deserts can negatively affect families, but how do they negatively affect cities?
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Play provides a competitive advantage for cities by developing healthy kids and thriving communities. To attract and retain the businesses, jobs and residents who breathe energy and enterprise into their neighborhoods, cities first need to foster family-friendly, kid-friendly environments that promote play everywhere - and it must also happen in low-income, underserved communities.
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How is KaBOOM! working with cities to make play possible everywhere?
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In addition to building playgrounds, we have two major initiatives – Playful City USA and Play Everywhere Challenge. Playful City USA drives communities to understand the importance of play and engaging citizens while the Play Everywhere Challenge seeks innovative and community-driven solutions to city development by integrating play into everyday moments and in unexpected places
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When most people think of active play spaces, the first thing that comes to mind is a playground. Can you give us an example or scenario of how cities have innovated in making their communities more "play-able"?
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Broadly speaking, a playspace is anywhere children and teens can play, such as public parks, soccer fields, nature trails, beaches, and more. If we think creatively, we can transform bus stops into swings or crosswalks into hopscotch. For example, Baltimore had a thought-shift around vacant land, now it views vacant lots as an untapped resource available to residents.
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With play opportunities disappearing, what reactions has KaBOOM! received from kids, parents, and/or the communities, through their work?
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To put it simply, they want and need more. People don’t just want great parks and playgrounds; they want a complete reimagining of what our urban spaces and places look like — from sidewalks and bus stops to health clinics and laundromats. Working together with leaders from every sector, we have the power to achieve this reimagining.
The launch day conversation has ended. Please direct further questions about this Grommet to our Community Experience Team.
James
Hi, I’m the CEO of KaBOOM!, the national non-profit that seeks to give children the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. I’m excited to share our story here on The Grommet and look forward to sharing more about the important work we do.
Cynthia
3/30/2016 11:11 AMPlay deserts can negatively affect families, but how do they negatively affect cities?
James – Special Guest
3/30/2016 11:14 AMPlay provides a competitive advantage for cities by developing healthy kids and thriving communities. To attract and retain the businesses, jobs and residents who breathe energy and enterprise into their neighborhoods, cities first need to foster family-friendly, kid-friendly environments that promote play everywhere - and it must also happen in low-income, underserved communities.
Cynthia
3/30/2016 11:11 AMHow is KaBOOM! working with cities to make play possible everywhere?
James – Special Guest
3/30/2016 11:14 AMIn addition to building playgrounds, we have two major initiatives – Playful City USA and Play Everywhere Challenge. Playful City USA drives communities to understand the importance of play and engaging citizens while the Play Everywhere Challenge seeks innovative and community-driven solutions to city development by integrating play into everyday moments and in unexpected places
Cynthia
3/30/2016 11:12 AMWhen most people think of active play spaces, the first thing that comes to mind is a playground. Can you give us an example or scenario of how cities have innovated in making their communities more "play-able"?
James – Special Guest
3/30/2016 11:14 AMBroadly speaking, a playspace is anywhere children and teens can play, such as public parks, soccer fields, nature trails, beaches, and more. If we think creatively, we can transform bus stops into swings or crosswalks into hopscotch. For example, Baltimore had a thought-shift around vacant land, now it views vacant lots as an untapped resource available to residents.
Cynthia
3/30/2016 11:12 AMWith play opportunities disappearing, what reactions has KaBOOM! received from kids, parents, and/or the communities, through their work?
James – Special Guest
3/30/2016 11:15 AMTo put it simply, they want and need more. People don’t just want great parks and playgrounds; they want a complete reimagining of what our urban spaces and places look like — from sidewalks and bus stops to health clinics and laundromats. Working together with leaders from every sector, we have the power to achieve this reimagining.