Parks Tacoma has adopted the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports to boost the District’s commitment to providing safe environments for youth to play, learn and grow and high-quality programming to keep them active and engaged.
The policy statement drafted by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit that works on complex challenges in society, outlines eight principles designed to create a shared cultural understanding that all youth should have the opportunity to develop as people through sports.
When the Board of Commissioners endorsed the bill last week, Parks Tacoma became the third park district in the country to commit to the principles, and the first on the West Coast.
This was done in conjunction with celebrating January as Whole Child Month, a community-wide approach to caring for our youth. This approach, which views meeting the whole needs of the child to improve their educational outcomes, has proven effective in addressing a range of larger challenges to include physical fitness, cancer risk reduction, gender equity, social inclusion of people with disabilities, racial bias and the restoration of civic trust.
The proclamation will help guide Parks Tacoma principles and policies and provide more ways to increase physical activity for youth since a State of Play report showed only 19 percent of Pierce County youth are physically active enough by the national standard.
“The Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports is a promise to the community that we will invest in the physical and mental health of our young people,” said Park Board President Andrea Smith. “We have an opportunity to improve real world impacts for kids and families and move toward better health outcomes and a more equitable, affordable and nurturing youth sports system.”
As part of a shared vision for the Whole Child approach, Parks Tacoma, Tacoma Public Schools and a network of dedicated partners work together to support consistent care, education and enrichment for children in the classroom, community and at home.
That includes offering a diverse variety of enrichment programs like Beyond the Bell, Club B, Teen Late Nights and other out-of-classroom experiences. It also includes a movement to increase equitable access to multi-sport, all-season fields and courts, as well as skate parks and other outdoor recreation features throughout the city.
In 2023, the Aspen Institute did a study for Tacoma-Pierce County as part of their Project Play Initiative and called attention to a youth health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.
Children in Pierce County are less active, more isolated, more depressed and more anxious, according to the State of Play report. But when they move their bodies, they feel better mentally and physically.
“This is a public health initiative, and we want to redefine what an athlete is and show kids that an athlete is anybody that moves their body,” said Hollie Rogge, deputy director of community and neighborhood parks and recreation.
The State of Play report named the Whole Child system as our community’s greatest asset to increase physical activity, sports participation and overall health of our youth.
Parks Tacoma honors Whole Child partnership and further commit to a shared vision of healthy, safe, challenged, engaged and supported youth in our community by endorsing the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports.
Read the Bill of Rights here.
Read proclamation from Parks Tacoma Board of Commissioners: A proclamation endorsing a Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports in Celebration of Whole Child Month – Parks Tacoma
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