257 communities exhibiting Playability to be recognized as part of 2016 Playful City USA Program
Hays is being honored with a 2016 Playful City USA designation for the first time.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the national recognition program honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playable. The City of Hays has made the creation and maintaining of public parks a priority and is committed to ensuring that neighborhood park services are within a maximum walking distance of one-half mile for all Hays residents.
“The City of Hays manages several different parks and amenities for the residents of Hays, and is continuously creating more opportunities for children to get the play they need and deserve. Through the multitude of programs offered for children to enjoy and thrive, we are thrilled that the tremendous effort by our Parks Departments is being recognized with this outstanding achievement,” said Rick Rekoske, Director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Communities across the country are creating innovative ways to bring back play and attract residents through family friendly activities. Interactive sidewalk art, designated play spaces on trails and the transformation of schoolyards into active play areas are just a few examples of how cities are becoming more playful.
“We are thrilled to recognize these communities that have invested their time and efforts to put kids first,” said
Ka BOOM! CEO James Siegal. “Balanced and active play is crucial to the well-being of kids and the communities that they thrive in. By integrating play into cities, the leaders of Playful Cities USA are working to attract and retain the thousands of families that want homes in close proximity to safe places to play.”
To learn more about these cities, see the full list of the 257 communities named 2016 Playful City USA honorees, or to gather more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org.
