Baldwin Park Selected as Playful City USA Third Year In a Row

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For the third time in five years, the city of Baldwin Park was picked to be one of 118 communities across the country to receive the Playful City USA designation.

If city officials get their wish, the designation can open up opportunities to increase the number of parks throughout the area.

The award is presented annually by KABOOM!, a national non-profit organization whose mission it is to create playspaces with the help of local communities, and to promote recreational play in children’s lives.

According to information made public by the city, only 10 cities received the coveted award in California.

Helen Hernandez, program supervisor at the Baldwin Park Teen Center was charged with developing an action plan that would get kids active and using the city’s parks and playgrounds.

 “Every year the city plans a ‘Play Day’ event where the kids come out to a park and work on some type of community service,” said Hernandez, “They then spend the rest of the day playing, everything from hula hoops to regular old school games.”

Hernandez said the goal is to get kids to spend more time outdoors and engaged in using their imaginations, rather than sitting in front of the TV for hours or playing video games.

Hernandez added that Baldwin Park originally got involved with KABOOM! in order to build a playground at Walnut Creek Park. Through a partnership with , the city received 16,000 worth of play equipment for the project, with approximately 200 volunteers participating.

According to the nonprofit’s website, some benefits of being a Playful City USA include exclusive access to grants worth $2.1 million between 2011-13, street signs identifying the community’s commitment to children, and inclusion in national advertising and public relations campaigns.

 “I think that the parks that we have in the city are nice,” said longtime resident 27-year-old Genoveva Escobosa, as she walked with her godson at Walnut Creek Park.

Escobosa added that her family participated in summer events in the city playgrounds. “It seems like they are trying to have events for kids, even though I am sure they are on a tight budget, and that is pretty cool.”

Hernandez said she would like to increase the number of park spaces in the community, while the city has been pursuing a joint-use agreement with the local high schools in order to open up playgrounds for after-school activities.

“KABOOM! does provide a lot of support,” she said, while adding that her department is working on examining how other cities with successful programs already in place have developed their plans, in order to fulfill Baldwin Park’s long-term vision of additional play areas.

The city encourages active play for children of various age groups, including weekly Hip Hop Dance classes at the Arts and Recreation Center, as well as science experiments at the Barnes Park Family Recreation Center, Thursdays at 4 P.M.

To get more info on dance classes at the Arts and Recreation center you can call (626) 214-1601.