KaBOOM!

Since its founding in 1996, KaBOOM! has been acutely concerned with many of the issues facing today's youth. Countless children, especially those within underserved communities, struggle with health issues, including soaring obesity rates, rising suicidal and depressive tendencies, and increased cognitive disorders. As a result of combined health and economic factors, many children struggle to succeed in school, exhibit less creativity, and find making social connections difficult. At the heart of these issues, KaBOOM! believes, is one central problem: children today lead significantly less active lives than previous generations, and have traded in playtime for hours spent in front of electronic screens.

The Promise of Play

By encouraging and providing access to a more balanced and active lifestyle for children, KaBOOM! has developed a unique treatment for many of these deep issues plaguing American youth. Children who spend more time actively playing have been shown to lead healthier lifestyles, better succeed in classroom settings, more quickly develop necessary social skills, and maintain stronger relationships with caregivers. Therefore, KaBOOM! not only encourages families to support their children to lead more active lifestyles but also helps to provide them with a larger infrastructure in order to do so. Through collaborations with community and national partners, the organization assists cities with implementing the "Play Everywhere" concept in innovative and surprising locations, especially throughout major urban centers.