Children’s Friend Receives Grants to Enhance Outdoor Play
Grants provide necessary funding for new playgrounds to promote physical activity

PROVIDENCE, RI (July 13, 2011)- Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play announced Children’s Friend as one of 436 recipients of a $10,000 grant to improve the outdoor play spaces at the Dean Center in Pawtucket and Friendship Center in Providence. The National Center was created through a federal grant to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) from the Office of Head Start. 

“We appreciate Head Start Body Start for helping us evaluate our play spaces and educate our children and their families about the value of physical activity and playing outdoors in particular,” said David Caprio, President and CEO of Children’s Friend. “This grant will enable Dean Center and Friendship Center to build new playgrounds and provide a safe place for kids to be active in their communities and highlights Children’s Friend’s commitment to outdoor play as part of our programs.”

“Outdoor play is associated with greater amounts of physical activity in children, and research has shown that opportunities for whole body exercise has a long lasting influence as preschool physical activity tracks throughout childhood,” said Center Director Kwame M. Brown, Ph.D. “Unfortunately children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation,” added Brown.  “We want to help the Head Start staff discover the benefits of outdoor play across developmental domains and learn about the features of high quality outdoor play spaces that promote movement opportunities for children of all ability levels.”

In addition to the play space improvement, each award-winning Center will have access to online courses, webinars and resource materials. 

Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play
Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is a project of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR), which are associations of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Funding for HSBS is provided by the Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of HSBS is to increase physical activity, outdoor play and healthy eating among Head Start and Early Head Start children, families and staff.  HSBS will assist Head Start programs in creating healthy learning environments, both in and outside the classroom, through structured and unstructured physical activity that leads to the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of young children and reduces obesity and its associated costs.  HSBS has three main objectives: (1) to inform and assist OHS in setting national priorities and developing policies; (2) to provide resources, training and technical assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start grantees; and (3) to administer and support grants for construction or improvement of outdoor play spaces at Head Start centers.