“Families that”Play Together:

Recreation and Leisure ‘in the District”

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BACKGROUND BRIEFING REPORT

DC Family Policy Seminar

The DC Family Policy Seminar aims to provide accu-rate, relevant, non-partisan, timely information andpolicy options concerning issues affecting children andfamilies to District policymakers.

The DC Family Policy Seminar is part of the NationalNetwork of State Family Policy Seminars, a project ofthe Family Impact Seminar, American Association forMarriage and Family Therapy Research and EducationFoundation.

A collaborative project of the Georgetown University Graduate Public Policy Program (GPPP) and its affiliate,the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH).

DC Family Policy Seminar

“Families that Play Together:Recreation and Leisure

in the District”

BACKGROUND BRIEFING REPORT

ByKerry Whitacre with Mark Rom

Georgetown UniversityGraduate Public Policy Program

July 18, 1995

This report provides a brief introduction to the issues addressed by the DC Family PolicySeminar on July 18, 1995. The author thanks the numerous individuals in District ofColumbia government and in local and national organizations for contributing their timeand efforts to this seminar––especially Ted Pochter, Chief, Policy and Planning Divisionof the D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks. Special thanks are also given to ValerieGwinner and the staff of the National Center for Education in Maternal and ChildHealth for their invaluable assistance in hosting this seminar.

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“Families that playtogether, stay together.”

I. IntroductionHarold Smith, professor of recreation manage-

ment and youth leadership at Brigham YoungUniversity, states that “research continues to showthat individuals say the peak experiences in theirlives are overwhelmingly related to recreation witha family member” (McCormick, 45). Other studiesshow that when husbands and wives share leisuretime together, they tend to have more satisfyingmarriages. Family recreation is especially impor-tant for infants’ and toddlers’ healthy develop-ment. Families with young children who partici-pate in recreation together may help children feelvalued (Morris, 82). According to Morris, youngchildren can “benefit from the exhilaration of reg-ular physical exercise and the joy of laughtershared with family and friends” (83).

Yet, in describing the trends facing modernfamilies, Morris Green, M.D., editor of BrightFutures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants,Children, and Adolescents, writes:

These [trends] include a worrisome declinein the time parents spend with their chil-dren, less direct contact between childrenand their grandparents and extended familymembers, increased geographic mobility, ashortage of quality child care services, areduction in neighborhood cohesiveness

This seminar is the seventh in a series designedto bring a family focus to policymaking. The panelfeatures the following speakers:

Gordon Braithwaite, Director of CulturalAffairs, D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks,3149 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010;(202) 673-7679.

Catherine Hogan-Lewis, Manager of OutreachPrograms for Bell Atlantic of Washington, DC,1710 H Street, NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC20006; (202) 392-4325.

William Peebles, Deputy Director for HumanDevelopment at the Marshall Heights CommunityDevelopment Corporation, 3917 MinnesotaAvenue, NE, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20019;(202) 396-3832.

Christen Smith, Executive Director, AmericanAssociation for Leisure and Recreation, 1900Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091; (703) 476-3472.

This seminar focuses on recreation and leisureactivities for families. This background report sum-marizes the essentials on several topics. First, itprovides an introduction to what is meant byrecreation and leisure. Next, it briefly describes theprograms that provide recreation, details the bene-fits of recreation for families and communities,and outlines the challenges communities face inproviding family-centered recreation during timesof fiscal constraints. An annotated list of recreationand leisure activities for children and families inthe District of Columbia is included in the report.

“Families that Play Together:Recreation and Leisure in the District”

and social supports, and a widespreadrestructuring of family relationships (xi).

Most families are keenly aware of these trends.In the National Survey of Children and Parentsconducted by the National Commission onChildren, 8 out of 10 Americans felt they did notspend enough time with their children (NationalCommission, 9). Almost 60 percent of the parentswished they had more time with their children.And 3 out of 10 parents surveyed wanted to spenda lot more time with their family (NationalCommission, 15).

Broad economic and demographic changes arelargely responsible for these trends. Families undereconomic stress—especially single parent fami-lies—undoubtedly find it difficult to spend recre-ational time together. Nevertheless, recreation pro-grams can work with families to foster healthydevelopment, encourage educational success, mod-erate risk-taking, and build strong families andcommunities. Recreational activities can help chil-dren and families enjoy more fully the leisure timethey do have together.

Kraus defines recreation as “activities that onecarries on in leisure for pleasure or to achieveother important personal outcomes” (Kraus, 13).Recreation can include activities such as sports,arts and crafts, religious studies, music, or games.Recreation thus need not be simply a way to fillthe hours spent outside work or school; it caninclude active participation in athletic, cultural,social, and other pursuits.

Leisure and recreation can be highly enrichingand creative parts of modern life—so much so thatthey are often considered a right. However, it hasalso been shown that leisure may encompass self-destructive or societally damaging forms of play,such as addictive gambling, substance abuse, andgang activity (Kraus, v). According to Kraus, “therealization that leisure may have both positive andnegative potential, in terms of societal and humanoutcomes, led to government’s accepting responsi-bility for providing recreation and park facilities

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and programs” (13). Because of the potential forboth positive and negative outcomes of leisuretime, families and neighborhoods have an interestin working with local governments to create recre-ation programs for children and families—especially activities that can benefit an entire community.

Leisure is now recognized as an important partof public policy, with families, government, reli-gious groups, businesses, and other organizationsall having a stake in its development (Kraus, 15).Today, governments help provide various forms ofrecreation. They establish parks, playgrounds,sports and arts complexes, senior centers, andother facilities for children and families (Kraus, 5).Many nonprofit organizations are involved inmeeting the needs of communities, as are majorcorporations, the armed services, religious organi-zations, early child care providers, correctionalfacilities, and real estate developers. Even in thehealth care field, therapeutic recreation is a recog-nized professional discipline (Kraus, 5).

Recreation has two main purposes for thefamily. First, it has the potential to bring familiescloser together. Second, recreation can be struc-tured to support families by providing a safe andenriching environment for children—one thatreinforces the values of the family while the par-ents are at work.

Changing Families and Recreation

In the 1980s, the number of families with bothparents working and the number of single workingparent families increased significantly. Today, theUnited States has nearly 11 million single-parenthouseholds; a disproportionate number of thesehouseholds are headed by African-Americanwomen (McCormick, 45). In addition, childpoverty has increased in recent years; currently,approximately one in five children in the UnitedStates—including almost half of African-Americanchildren and 40 percent of Hispanic-Americanchildren—grow up in poverty (Seefeldt et al., 9).

Children in single parent homes are most likely tobe poor.

Community recreation agencies around thecountry have been implementing programs thatreflect the changing family structure and recognizethe economic reality of limited family-time andthe need to provide safe and supportive environ-ments for youth. For example, many agencies arenow offering before- and after-school programs aswell as holiday and summer day camp program-ming for children and youth (Smith, 10).

Yet, the programming of the past 25 years hastended to focus on individuals in specific agegroups, particularly youth or seniors, rather than onthe needs of families as a whole. Organized recre-ation and leisure for families has traditionallyincluded special events and one-day programsrather than ongoing programs. This formula mayno longer meet the needs of today’s diverse families.Family recreation is a new trend in programmingthat involves activities designed for families to par-ticipate in together over extended periods of time.

This briefing report focuses on the existing(and, in the view of many, insufficient) recreationprograms for children and families. District policy-makers may want to give careful consideration toways that our community can improve its family-centered recreational programs. At best, these pro-grams can be effective mechanisms for fosteringstrong and healthy families—families that will staytogether.

Importance of Recreation for Children,Youth, and Adolescents

Recreation services are important in that theyare often the services that attract youth to a com-munity center or multiservice center where theycan be supervised by responsible adults and begiven opportunities to receive a variety of othersocial services (Smith, ii). Increasingly, the role ofyouth organizations has been expanded to supple-ment families in providing for children’s needs(Hechinger, 190).

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Children and youth are the main users of com-munity recreation services, but youth participationdrops off around age 13 (Carnegie Council, 65).For example, only 9 percent of the Girl Scouts inthe United States are 11 years of age or older, andonly about 12 percent of YMCA members arebetween the ages of 12 and 17 (McLaughlin et al.,7). This is a disturbing fact, given that teenagershave so much “free” time. In fact, The CarnegieCouncil on Adolescents has found that 40 percentof young adolescents’ wake time is discretionary(10). A 1988 National Educational LongitudinalStudy that surveyed 25,000 eighth grade studentsfound that 27 percent of the respondents spenttwo or more hours alone without adult supervisioneach day. Eighth graders who are from families inlower socioeconomic groups—the same childrenwho often do not have adequate social support—are alone more than three hours each day(Carnegie Council, 10).

Policymakers and concerned citizens may lookat the participation rates among teens and con-clude that youth lack interest in organized recre-ational activities. But it is also possible thatexisting recreational activities often do not cater tothe needs and interests of adolescents, and thatprograms that target the special concerns of ado-lescents may be just what they want and demand.Free time provides an enormous potential—forgood or bad—in young persons’ lives (CarnegieCouncil, 30).

A 1991 report from the Office of TechnologyAssessment on Adolescent Health recognized theimportance of recreation in the healthy develop-ment of adolescents. The report (Carnegie Council,66) called for expansion of community recreationservices to help accomplish the following goals:

1. Ensure appropriate use of discretionary time;2. Offer the potential for adult guidance; 3. Reduce personal distress; 4. Provide youth with opportunities to learn life

skills and social competence; 5. Provide opportunities for work; and

6. Possibly reduce substance abuse.

Because adolescents spend a lot of time withtheir friends and very little time with parents andother family members, recreation may be betteraimed at adolescents while encouraging parentsand families to help young adolescents make con-structive choices with their free time (CarnegieCouncil, 32).

Importance of Recreation for Families inCommunities and Neighborhoods

According to Christen Smith, the ExecutiveDirector of the American Association of Leisureand Recreation, “the purpose of community recre-ation services is to provide enjoyable, interestingand challenging recreation opportunities that willenhance the well-being and healthy developmentof participants and enrich community life” (Smith,21). Community recreation services thus are pro-vided in nearly every city, town, and village acrossthe country (Smith, 11). Yet high-poverty neigh-borhoods—those with relatively low economicactivity and high levels of crime—often have fewpublic and social services, and limited recreationaland youth development programs (NationalResearch Council, 5).

Community development corporations (CDCs)typically seek to enhance the safety of communi-ties in order to improve the quality of life for theirresidents. Therefore, many of their developmentplans include creating recreational opportunitiesfor their families (National Research Council, 198).Yet, few communities attempt to fully address theneeds of adolescents (Carnegie Council, 9).

Public recreation in communities is funded pri-marily through taxes. Public recreation programsget additional funds from gifts, grants, trust funds,and fees and charges for services (Smith, 11). Localgovernment budget shortfalls in the 1980s and1990s have brought about significant reductions inrecreation services. The fiscal crisis has resulted inreduced staffing, decreased hours of operation offacilities, and elimination of some programs that

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are not self-supporting or funded by outside dol-lars (Smith, 10). Family-centered programs arelikely to be greatly affected by this fiscal crisisbecause they often involve larger facilities andmore staff than are needed for programs aimed atindividuals.

Communities have an interest in ensuring thatrecreational facilities and programs for families areavailable even in times of fiscal restraint. Especiallywhen budgets are tight, communities may need tobe more aggressive in encouraging public and pri-vate partnerships and interagency collaborationsin order to provide recreation for the community’sfamilies.

II. Program TypesApproximately 17,000 youth development

organizations operate within the United States.Most of these are quite small; only 25 percentoperate with annual budgets of more than $25,000(Carnegie Council, 50). Most are also local,although there are over 400 national youth organi-zations. The 15 largest (Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts,Boys and Girls Clubs, Camp Fire, 4-H Clubs, GirlsIncorporated, YWCA, and YMCA) serve 30 millionyoung people per year (Hechinger, 192). A widevariety of community organizations provide recre-ational opportunities to children and families.These include the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America,Girl Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs, GirlsIncorporated, church-affiliated youth groups, localgovernments and recreation departments or com-munity centers, adult service clubs, fraternities andsororities, performing arts centers, theater groups,dance troupes, training programs, grass-roots orga-nizations, tutoring centers, museums, libraries,sports teams, and social clubs (McLaughlin et al.,8–9). (For a sample of the programs in the Districtof Columbia, see the annotated list at the end ofthis report.)

While these organizations do emphasize recre-ation, their activities often include an educational

element, offered through such means as men-toring, coaching, drop-in activities, structured pro-grams, safe places, constructive alternatives togang involvement, therapeutic recreation, commu-nity service programs, formal and informal groupsof varying sizes, peer groups, public performances,and through recognition for accomplishment.Examples of the educational goals are life skills,decision making, communicating, problemsolving, and reading (Carnegie Council, 11).

Some organizations are facility-based, othersare troop-based, and others rely on a one-to-onematch between a young adolescent and an adultvolunteer. Every organization defines its ownmembership, and many serve different demo-graphic groups (Carnegie Council, 44).

III. BenefitsRecreational programs will not solve all of the

problems of children, youth, families, and commu-nities. However, well-organized recreation pro-grams can help stimulate healthy individual devel-opment, encourage skill building, prevent negativeleisure activities, and build stronger families andcommunities.

Prevention

According to Smith: “While recreation alone isnot the only medium of intervention, there is suf-ficient evidence to suggest that participation inrecreational activities can play an important rolein the prevention of marginally deviant behavior”(28). A study by Long and Long (1989) showedthat junior and senior high school studentsreported very different lifestyles for unsupervisedyouth compared to the lifestyles of supervisedyouth. “The more removed youth were from adultcare, the more susceptible they were to peer pres-sure and to committing antisocial behaviors”(Smith, 24). It is not surprising that, as a recentstudy by the Michigan Department of PublicHealth of juvenile delinquency in metropolitan

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Detroit found, many negative activities not onlyoccur during leisure time, but actually serve as aform of recreation. “The antisocial activities satisfythe adolescent’s need to seek thrill, excitement,glamour and high-risk adventure” (Smith, 28).

The federal government recognizes the role ofrecreation in preventing youth delinquency. In1994, an amendment to the Urban Park andRecreation Recovery Act of 1978 states: “Well-maintained recreational facilities and services sig-nificantly decrease the incidence of violent crimeamong youth and can be an effective tool inefforts to prevent crime, increase public safety andimprove the quality of life of urban residents”(Urban Recreation Act, 1). Urban recreation canhelp deter crime by providing constructive use ofnonschool hours for at-risk youth. Sports andother physical activities can serve as an outlet forpent-up anger and stress (Isaacs, 32). Midnight bas-ketball is an example of a recreation program usedto reduce violent crime and gang activity. TheNational Governors’ Association, the UrbanInstitute, and the Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment all support expansion of recreationas a means to reduce juvenile delinquency (UrbanRecreation Act, 5).

Recreation programs can also reduce otherdestructive activities such as alcohol and drugabuse and can encourage various positive out-comes. A study by Columbia University showedthat Boys and Girls Clubs appear to reduce alcoholand drug use among participants. A Women’sSports Foundation (1989) study found thatminority students (boys and girls) who wereinvolved in sports were less likely to drop out ofschool, achieved better grades, and were moresocially involved in other school activities thanother minority students (Seefeldt et al., 98).

Healthy Development

Recreation can foster healthy developmentthroughout life. Recreation can help families with infants to develop a strong bond with their

children, and recreation providers, in turn, canprovide advice, encouragement, and support to thefamily. As the infants get older, safe play areas cangive young children the chance to partake in pro-tected risk-taking opportunities important for earlychildhood development (Morris, 82). In statingthat young children learn through play, Morrisnotes: “If the toddler experiences the security of anurturing and reliable source of protection andattachment during infancy, he now has a strongbase from which to explore the world” (82).Ordinary play on playgrounds or other environ-ments has come to be considered “an importantmedium in learning and development” (Hartle andJohnson, 14). Development during middle child-hood can be enhanced through access to play-grounds as well as gymnasiums and parks.

Community-based recreational programsappear essential to the healthy development ofyoung adolescents (Carnegie Council, 36).Evidence suggests that “young adolescents’ abilityto grow into healthy and mature adults is greatlyinfluenced by the experiences they have and thepeople they meet during their nonschool hours”—hours they often spend by themselves or withfriends rather than their families (CarnegieCouncil, 25). Community-based youth recreationprograms can help youth grow into mature adultsby allowing them to develop personal resilience,social competence, autonomy, and a sense of pur-pose and of a future. Smith states:

Through leisure experiences, the individual’sphysical well-being and mental health arerealized and enhanced. Recreation encour-ages self-discovery, self-actualization and thedevelopment of one’s unique potentials.Recreation provides opportunities to experi-ence success, to establish positive, mean-ingful relationships with others, to experi-ence a sense of belonging, and to developself-esteem, self-identity, and self-worth.Participation in recreation improves thequality of life, develops life-long leisureskills and interests, and provides children,

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youth, and families with the personalresources to continue to enhance theirquality of life for a lifetime. Recreation pro-vides youth with opportunities to maketheir own decisions, learn time manage-ment, develop self-initiative, gain experiencein self-government and contribute to thecommunity (22).

Sports have been cited frequently as themedium that most often provides the contactbetween wayward youth and caring adults. “Sporthas been credited with providing a sense of affilia-tion, a feeling of confidence in one’s physical abili-ties, an appreciation of one’s personal health andfitness and the development of social bonds withindividuals and institutions” (Seefeldt et al., 10).Families that exercise together may reinforce thepositive behavior that will enhance personalhealth throughout their life span.

Building Skills

Many organizations and recreation programsfocus on building specific skills and competenciesrather than self-esteem and self-confidence(Carnegie Council, 44). Through participation inrecreational activities young people can acquireskills in leadership, conflict resolution without useof violence, learn fair play and gain respect for therights of others (Smith, 22). Other programs mayinvolve educational enrichment and job training.

Involvement in sports can help children gainnecessary motor skills. “Involvement of Americanchildren and youth in sports is regarded by manyadults as an excellent opportunity for the acquisi-tion of physical fitness, motor skills, and sociallyacceptable values” (Seefeldt et al., 5). Participantsin youth sports can learn sports skills useful forleisure activities throughout life.

IV. Challenges for Public PolicymakersCommunities face many challenges to provide

effective and affordable family-centered and

family-supportive recreation for children, youth,and families—especially in poor urban areas. Thechallenge is to create recreation areas that are com-munity centers where police, clergy, educators, andbusiness people gather to identify common goalsand collaborate for planning and for the provisionof services for children and families (Foley andWard, 69). Yet Foley and Ward contend that “recre-ation and parks is a frequently overlooked andunderfunded public agency” even though it “canhelp weave the safety net through which we donot wish our urban youth to fall” (68-69).

Creating Partnerships in Communities

One important challenge is to create a networkof community agencies working cooperativelyrather than simply to have the community recre-ation agency operating alone. Fiscal constraintsmake partnerships a necessity if communities aregoing to meet the demand for recreation.

A major challenge to recreation agencies inthe coming years will be to initiate collaborationand to expand their roles as facilitators and coordi-nators of all organizations in the community thatprovide recreation services. Potential partner orga-nizations include the local school district, youthservicing agencies, foundations, adult service orga-nizations, religious organizations and churches,and colleges and universities (Smith, i).

Engaging Families

Another challenge to recreation programs is tocreate partnerships with families. The CarnegieCouncil for Adolescent Development (CarnegieCouncil, 88) advises recreation programs to do thefollowing:

• Keep families informed of organizationalactivities and give them opportunities toconsult in the planning process;

• Invite family members to contribute theirtime and energies to the agency’s effortsthrough such roles as board members andprogram volunteers;

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• Design activities that encourage youngpeople to consult with and learn from theexperience of family members;

• Support families in their teen-rearingresponsibilities; and

• Provide direct services to families.

Family members can be utilized as volunteers,fundraisers, program advisers, board members, oradult leaders (Carnegie Council, 89). In turn,youth organizations can help parents becomemore skilled parents. Christen Smith suggests thatbecause today’s families relocate with increased fre-quency, families are “cocooning”—that is, they arestaying home with their VCRs and other electronicentertainment, ordering food delivered to theirdoor, and meeting many of their other needswithin their own homes rather than in the com-munity. Smith contends that the challenge forrecreation agencies is to design programs “to bringthe community together and strengthen neighbor-hood ties” (Smith, 64).

Eliminating Barriers to Participation

Recreation providers should attempt to elimi-nate any barriers to the participation of children,youth, and families. Barriers include “lack ofproper clothing, transportation, social support, pri-vacy and a non-smoking environment; safety;timing of programs (especially for women who willnot go out alone at night); limited access to infor-mation; a feeling that one cannot keep up the paceof the program; staff not available to meet specialrequirements that may be needed; attitudes of thegeneral population and lack of understanding”(Needham, 72).

Financial barriers also bear careful considera-tion. One of the distressing occurrences in com-munities inhabited by families with low incomes isthe dependence on “pay for play” as a way to sup-port agency-sponsored and interscholastic sportsprograms. This trend decreases the opportunitiesthat are available to children and youth who arealready deprived of the facilities and programs that

are commonplace in most suburban communities.An extension of this reliance on direct revenuesfrom program participants for eligibility for sportsprograms will result in the exclusion of mosturban dwellers from organized sports during child-hood and adolescence (Seefeldt et al., 93).

Recreation providers also must ensure thattheir programs and activities are accessible for chil-dren, youth, and families with disabilities.Programs that are not inclusive can prevent anindividual or a family from participating in recre-ational activities with their peers. The AmericanDisabilities Association stresses the need for trueinclusion where people with disabilities canactively participate and interact in programs in ameaningful way (Galambos et al., 67).

Ensuring Safety

Along with the benefits of participating inrecreation activities, there exists the potential forinjury. Not only is it a challenge for recreationproviders to prevent individual injury, but it is alsoa challenge to ensure that recreation facilities arefree from crime and violence. Accidental injuriesoccur more often in high-poverty areas as a resultof dangerous housing, neighborhoods, and recre-ational facilities (National Research Council, 20).Playground injuries often occur because of entrap-ment, falls from heights onto hard surfaces,pinching, crushing, protrusions and sharp areas,suspended hazards, protective railings, toxic mate-rials, electrical equipment, and poisonous plants(Frost, 35-38). Recreation providers can preventinjuries by removing unsafe equipment and byensuring that all equipment meets safety standards.

“Technologically improved equipment andplaying areas have developed participants who arestronger, faster, and more intense at much youngerages than ever before. As a result, sports- and recre-ation-related injuries can exact an enormous phys-ical, psychological, social, and financial toll onsociety” (National Institute of Health, 1). The

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Children’s Safety Network reports that “sports arethe most frequent cause of injury for both maleand female adolescents. While injuries from teamsports are more frequent, injuries resulting fromrecreation and individual sports are generally moresevere” (37). Injury surveillance is necessary inorder to develop an appropriate injury preventionstrategy.

Violence is another problem that plagues manyrecreation programs and facilities. Violence takesmany forms, such as homicide, suicide, rape,domestic violence, and child abuse. R. Dean Tice,executive director of the National Recreation andParks Association, believes that “antisocialbehavior and unrest in many forums spill over topublic recreation programs and places, reducingthe broader social value and degrading the envi-ronment” (Kraus, 361). Because of limited publicrecreation budgets, Kraus believes that “we mustaggressively link the values of recreation andresources to other basic needs like economic secu-rity, shelter and education (and adopt) an advo-cacy agenda embracing ‘children, youth andfamily’ issues” (361).

Because children, youth, and families are atrisk for a variety of different injuries related torecreation, prevention must be equally diverse.The Children’s Safety Network reports that injuriesto children between the ages of birth and 4 yearsoccur most often in settings with their parents.Recreation programs may need to educate and sup-port parents about injury to reduce the possiblerisks. Injuries among youth ages 5 to 14 can bethwarted through education concerning varioussafety skills, such as learning how to be safe pedes-trians and bicycle riders. Community organiza-tions can intervene by “making school a saferplace, providing safe play areas and protectivesports equipment, including safety in neighbor-hood planning, and supporting families to mini-mize family violence” (Children’s Safety Network,57). With respect to prevention of adolescentinjury, the Children’s Safety Network believes that“enforcing safety belt, motorcycle helmet, work-

place, and alcohol consumption laws, limitingaccess to firearms, and developing conflict resolu-tions skills to minimize interpersonal violence areof most benefit” (57). Overall, recreation programscan ensure that children, youth, and families havea safe place to play together, with limited risk forinjury and violence.

Ensuring Equity

Adequate distribution of recreation facilities isimportant for community well-being. Equityamong neighborhoods of different socioeconomicstatus continues to be a challenge for recreationproviders in many diverse communities. Forinstance, adult service clubs such as RotaryInternational, Kiwanis International, and fraterni-ties and sororities continue to put most of theirfunding for recent programs into low-risk commu-nities (Carnegie Council, 54–55). Similarly, manysports organizations tend to exclude youth inhigh-risk environments. Most programs do notinclude special provisions for youth in low-incomeenvironments.

The same inequities can be found amongmany public recreation agencies. Because of budgetcuts, a two-tiered public recreation system hasevolved. More and better services tend to be avail-able in suburban areas than in less affluent ruraland urban areas. The Carnegie Council onAdolescent Development states: “The current fiscalcut backs are servicing to increase the disparitybetween upper- and lower-income areas, meaningthat youth most dependent on public recreationservices are increasingly less likely to have accessto such services” (Carnegie Council, 66). Thegreatest deficiencies were found in urban cores. “Inthe growing cities, the greatest need is for develop-ment of new parkland and facilities; in the oldercities, lack of funds for programs and maintenancehas restricted recreation opportunities and hasresulted in the loss of large investments in parkfacilities as these facilities deteriorate and becomeunusable” (Kraus, 360). Since inner-city youth gen-erally are members of low-income families, they

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are more dependent on public recreation services;however, due to inequalities in recreation distribu-tion, these youth may be “less frequently exposedto a range of recreational opportunities, and there-fore, possess fewer recreation skills” (Smith, 55).

Gender equity is another challenge facingrecreation providers. Although programs purportto serve both boys and girls, boys are 1.5 timesmore likely to participate than girls (CarnegieCouncil, 59).

V. Programs that Show Promise forHelping Families throughRecreationSuccessful organizations view youth and fami-

lies as sources for development rather than asproblems to be solved. Their goal is to create afamily-like structure of mutual benefit. Like thefamily itself, successful programs are often avail-able to family members during days, nights, andweekends—typically imposing few specific rulesbut offering, instead, a broad sense of behaviorand a shared philosophy (Hechinger, 197). Theseprograms ensure that all activities offered to youthguarantee their safety; they are also seen as arefuge from violence.

There are several keys to building programsthat sustain participation. The first is to attractquality leadership from staff and volunteers.(Attracting good staff is often a great challenge,however, given the demands of these programs tooperate on evenings and weekends). Second, theplanners need to develop, maintain, and promoteactivities that satisfy young people (S.W. Morris &Company, 17). It is also worth noting that pro-grams that have been successful at sustaining par-ticipation often are nationally affiliated, churchrelated, municipally supported, and independent(McLaughlin et al., 9). An ideal center mightinclude family programs, perhaps parent-childcooking classes or family camping trips. At a min-imum, family participation should be encouraged

and promoted. Parents might also be involved ascoaches or might be asked to volunteer in centeractivities (S.W. Morris & Company).

The Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment (Carnegie Council, 12-13) hasoffered these recommendations to recreation pro-grams for children, youth, and families:

1. Tailor program content and processes to theneeds and interests of children and families.

2. Recognize, value, and respond to the diversebackgrounds and experience of children andfamilies.

3. Extend outreach to underserved families. 4. Actively compete for the time and attention of

children, youth, and families. 5. Strengthen the quality and diversity of leader-

ship. 6. Reach out to families, schools, and a wide

range of community partners in youth devel-opment.

7. Enhance the role of children, youth, and fami-lies as resources in their community.

8. Serve as vigorous advocates for and with chil-dren, youth, and families.

9. Specify and evaluate programs’ outcomes. 10. Establish strong organizational structures,

including energetic and committed board leadership ).

VI. The D.C. ExperienceThe District of Columbia is unique in that it

serves in multiple roles as the nation’s capital, thecenter of a metropolitan area, and a city of neigh-borhoods. Families in the District have a variety ofnational and local recreation facilities and pro-grams in which to participate.

The D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks(DRP) is the government agency with the primaryresponsibility for providing recreation and leisureopportunities to meet the needs of District resi-dents. The DRP also has been directed to perform arange of nontraditional recreation services such as

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“crime prevention, custodial child care, education,job development, drug use intervention and other‘front line’ social services during a time ofdeclining financial resources” (DRP, 5). The DRPrecognizes its important role in diverting “youngpeople from drugs and crime, to reduce stress foradults who are overworked and uncertain abouttheir economic future, to provide the setting forinter-generational programs, and to provide addi-tional services to a growing elderly and immigrantpopulation” (37). Because of fewer dollars andsmaller staff, the DRP has had to scale back its roleas a “front line provider” for working families on ayear-round basis. As a result, the DRP now focuseson youth as the most efficient way to respond tothe city’s most critical problems. Consequently,although its services and programs are locatedthroughout all eight wards, many DRP programsare centralized in Wards 7 and 8 where a majorityof the city’s children, youth, and families reside.

More than half of the city’s children live insingle-parent households and poverty is morelikely to affect these families than in homes whereboth parents are present. The DRP recognizes thechanging family structure and acknowledges that“children in these families require more concen-trated assistance which often goes beyond recre-ation, such as before- and after-school care, men-toring programs, job training referral services, andother social services” (DRP, 51). The ultimate goalof DRP is to increase community participation inestablishing “recreation centers as true neighbor-hood and community centers, where neighbor-hood social activities take place and families andchildren will feel safe and at home” (DRP, 55). DRPactively encourages churches and nonpublic insti-tutions to collaborate in recreation center pro-grams with a special emphasis on attracting fami-lies (DRP, 55).

In order to be eligible for grants under theLand and Water Conservation Fund program, theDRP develops a Comprehensive Recreation Planevery five years to ensure that the direction offunds and programs is in accordance with

changing population characteristics, social condi-tions, and residents’ needs. This plan also includesa funding strategy. Acknowledging the instabilityof the District’s budget, the current plan identifiesthe need to diversify funds and to encourage pri-vate donations and recreation provision as well asself-sustaining, fee-for-service recreation ventures(DRP, 3).

VII. ConclusionThe demand for “close to home” recreation

services is likely to increase “because of the popu-lation growth and the demographic shift to singleand working parents with less time and financialresources to travel for recreation purposes” (UrbanRecreation Act, 4). Because of budget cuts in theDistrict, public and private recreation providersmust work together to ensure adequate, appro-priate, assessable, affordable, and diverse recre-ational opportunities for today’s children, youth,and families. There is a need to explore ways todeliver recreation services in urban areas more

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efficiently and equitably. There is also a need toidentify effective ways of delivering recreation ser-vices in neighborhoods that are affected by gangs,crime, welfare dependency, and other social prob-lems. Recreation is a useful service that, in combi-nation with other social services, can greatly ben-efit individuals and families in choosing to pursuepositive and enriching activities during leisuretime. As Smith explains:

Free, uncommitted time is only a potentialresource. It may be an asset or a liability. Itis the individual’s choice to use it construc-tively. The challenge to recreation profes-sionals is to prepare each individual toassume responsibility to use discretionaryfree time to improve their own quality oflife and contribute to the community(Smith, 30).

Recreation can greatly enhance one’s personalphysical and mental well-being and translate intohealthy and happier families and communities.

The following section presents a brief descrip-tion of recreation programs available within theDistrict of Columbia for children and families. Thislist is based on information obtained throughinformal surveys with local organizations andadvocates. It does not represent a comprehensiveanalysis of local resources. Descriptions areincluded for purposes of reference rather than rec-ommendation.

“Adult Sports”D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks3149 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 645-3944Director: Luna Harrison

The primary function of Adult Sports is towork with adults and other interested parties toorganize adult sports leagues.

Anacostia/Congress Heights Partnership2301 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SEWashington, DC 21002(202) 889-2102Executive Director: Brenda Richardson

The Anacostia Partnership coordinates recre-ational programs with the Lutheran Church of theReformation and the East of the River CommunityDevelopment Corporation. In addition, they invitethe D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks intotheir neighborhoods to register children for camp.

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The Anacostia MuseumSmithsonian InstitutionMRC 520Washington, DC 20560(202) 357-1300

The Anacostia Museum is a national resourcedevoted to identify, document, protect, and inter-pret, the African-American experience, focusing onWashington, DC, and the upper region of theSouth. The Anacostia Museum also examines con-temporary urban issues, including housing, trans-portation, and health care, and their impact uponthe African-American communities in the region.It provides a wide variety of programs and activi-ties that are family oriented including anIntergenerational Summer Art Program, guidedtrail walks on the Dr. George Washington CarverNature Trail, and a Family Day involving activitiessuch as storytelling, steel drum music, quilt-making, doll-making, and mask-making work-shops.

Barney Neighborhood House3118 16th Street, NW, Third FloorWashington, DC 20010(202) 939-9013Executive Director: Rob McLean

The Barney Neighborhood House provides aSummer Urban Day Camp which involves recre-ation, educational, cultural and social experiencesand activities.

D.C. Family Policy Seminar Family Recreational Programs and Providers

in the District

“Before and After School Program”D.C. Public Schools1230 Taylor Street, NW

Room 202Washington, DC 20011(202) 576-7132Program Coordinator: Carver King

The Before and After School Program providesstructured activities on public school groundsthroughout the District for children ages 5-–12before and after school as well as during thesummer months.

Big Brothers of the National Capital Area1320 Fenwick LaneSuite 400Silver Spring, MD 20910(301) 587-0021Executive Director: Paul L. Bliss

Big Brothers assists boys from homes where thefather is absent, by providing long-term, one-to-one mentoring relationships with dependable,caring men. Through professional casework ser-vices and quality volunteers, the program helpsyoung boys gain trust in others, experience newopportunities, and develop strengthened self-worth as they grow to become responsible men.

Big Sisters of the Washington Area4000 Albemarle Street, NWWashington, 20016(202) 244-1012Executive Director: Michelle Bussie

Big Sisters of the Washington Area providesone-to-one mentoring for girls ages 6–17 in theD.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

“Books and Balls”Lutheran Church of the Reformation212 East Capitol Street, NEWashington, DC 20003(202) 543-4200Contact: Pastor Wanda McNeil

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Books and Balls is a year-round program thatcombines recreation with education. Throughoutthe year, Books and Balls holds two-month leaguesof flag football, basketball, and softball. Studentsare encouraged to read and to love learning.

Boy Scouts of America9190 Wisconsin AvenueBethesda, MD 20814(301) 530-936017Executive Director: Ron Carroll

The Boy Scouts of America provides opportuni-ties for young boys in the District to become BoyScouts. It offers day camps in the summer for cubscouts and overnight camp in southern Virginiafor older scouts. The Boy Scouts’ program, UrbanEmphasis, provides scouting for youth in publichousing.

Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning Center1459 Columbia Road, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 332-8697Executive Director: Ms. Beatriz Otero

Activities at the center include soccer, dance,arts, and swimming lessons.

Calvary Casa Del Pueblo United MethodistChurch

1459 Columbia Road, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 332-3420Contact: Rev. Cristian Delarosa

The church provides a Christian Day Camp, asummer camp designed to help children learn,develop, and have fun in a safe environment withemphasis on reading, writing, math, geography,history, and culture. The church also hosts a pro-gram, Club Time, which includes ballet, sports,photography/video, karate, computers, andmusic/choir.

Campfire Boys and Girls Potomac Area CouncilBox 7598Arlington, VA 22207(703) 569-1686Executive Director: Barbara Laposta

Campfire Boys and Girls offers a day camp forchildren ages 5–12 in Fort DuPont Park.

Capital Children’s Museum800 Third Street, NEWashington, DC 20002(202) 675-41833Contact: Gillian Foster, Assistant Director of Public Relations

The Capital Children’s Museum is a uniqueeducational complex that stimulates children tolearn by direct experience with their environment.The museum’s exhibits––which combine the arts,science, technology, and the humanities––are safe,innovative, imaginative, enjoyable, and education-al for all ages, particularly for children ages 2–12.

Center for Youth Services921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SEWashington, DC 20003(202) 543-5707Executive Director: Samuel TramelContact Person: Dayna Nokes

The Center for Youth Services works with high-risk young people ages 14–21, to help thembecome productive adults. The center offers a mul-tifaceted program that includes education, jobcounseling and training, health care, family plan-ning, child care, and recreational activities.

Central City Mission1350 R Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 745-7118Executive Director: Rev. Tony Marciano

The Central City Mission was established in1884 as an interdenominational Christian rescuemission providing shelter, food, clothing, and

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other programs and services for the homeless,hungry, and poor of our nation’s capital. The mis-sion runs a summer camp, Camp Bennett, forneedy, inner-city youth. The camp employs youngChristian counselors who focus on activities suchas Bible stories, recreation and swimming, singing,crafts, and outdoor activities. The Children’sMinistry includes Tiny Tots (children up to fiveyears, Capital Children for Christ (youth ages6–12), and Capital Teens for Christ (teens ages13–17). In addition, the Central City Mission offersa family services program that provides bibleteaching, counseling, and recreation for families(especially fatherless families).

Children’s ServicesLibrary AdministrationDistrict of Columbia Public Libraries901 G Street, NWWashington, DC 20001(202) 727-1151/(202) 727-1186Coordinator of Children’s Services: Maria Salvadore

The D.C. Public Libraries publish a monthlycalendar of free events, many of which are family-oriented. On Fridays, films, songs, storytimes, andother activities are offered. In addition, theSummer Quest ‘95 program has been launched toencourage children to read.

Church Association for Community Services710–712 Randolph Street, NWWashington, DC 20011(202) 541-5000Executive Director: Frank D. Tucker

The Church Association for CommunityServices provides after-school activities, a martialarts program, and evening basketball leagues forthe youth of the District.

City Wide Learning Centers, Inc.770 Kenyon Street, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 291-9275Director: Mr. Ralph Phillips

Activities at the center include drill team, cre-ative dance, nature walks, swimming, bowling,music, art, and cooking classes.

Columbia Heights Youth Club16th and Harvard Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 234-1531Executive Director: Leonard Harvey

Columbia Heights Youth Club is a nonprofitorganization that serves youth ages 6–18. It has agym and a photolab, offers computer literacyclasses, and provides a summer day camp thatincludes both educational and recreational compo-nents. The Columbia Heights Youth Club alsoholds an annual family night when parents areinvited to the club with their children to partici-pate in the different activities.

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind1421 P Street, NWWashington, DC 20005(202) 462-2900Ms. Ardella Richardson

Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind offers aDay Camp Fun program, with activities includingadaptive computers, arts and crafts, braille, swim-ming, and field trips.

Concerned Black Men1511 K Street, NWSuite 1100Washington, DC 20005(202) 783-5414President: Lafayette A. Barnes

Founded in 1982, the Washington, DC,Chapter of Concerned Black Men, Inc. (CBM) is anonprofit organization of male volunteers. It pro-vides positive male role models and builds strongerchannels of communication between adults andchildren in the Washington metropolitan area.Adhering to the motto “Caring for Our Youth,”CBM sponsors a variety of programs and activities

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promoting educational, cultural, and social devel-opment.

The Dance Place3225 8th Street, NEWashington, DC 20017(202) 269-1600Executive Director: Carla Perlo

The Dance Place is a modern dance studio/the-ater which offers classes for adults and children. Inaddition, the Dance Place offers a performanceseries for families to attend together, and coordi-nates classes and performances with other youthorganizations throughout the District.

Discovery Creek Children’s Museum ofWashington

4954 MacArthur Boulevard, NWWashington, DC 20007(202) 364-3111President: Susan M. Seligmann

Discovery Creek Children’s Museum ofWashington seeks to educate children and familiesabout the wonders of the natural world. It offers anumber of special programs throughout the yearfor children. On July 22, Discovery Creek ishosting a program, Love Bugs, for children ages4–6. In August, Discovery Creek is hosting twoprograms, Animal Architects and The Tortoise andthe Hare. In addition, the museum offers summercamps that involve outdoor exploration, art pro-jects, science experiments, and live native wildlife.

D.C. Community Prevention Partnership1612 K Street, NWSuite 1100Washington, DC 20006(202) 898-4700Director: Linda Fisher

The D.C. Community Prevention Partnershipis a private/public initiative linking neighbor-hoods, government agencies, and the privatesector in an effort to prevent and reduce drug and

alcohol abuse and violence in the District. It spon-sors ward-based Youth Action Teams for youth ages13–18 in each ward of the city, and neighborhood-based teams at Edgewood Terrace (Ward 5), EastCapitol Dwellings (Ward 7), and Barry Farms(Ward 8), all public housing communities. Theseteams meet weekly and regularly participate inworkshops on values, drugs, violence, AIDS, teensexuality, and conflict resolution. The Teams alsoenjoy recreational activities and weekend retreats.The Partnership also holds an annual PIPAFEST tomake people more aware of the need to preventthe use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and otherdrugs. PIPAFEST also revitalizes recreation servicesin Ward 4 by promoting alternatives for youngpeople and their families.

D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks3149 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 673-7660Acting Director: Betty Jo Gaines

The D.C. Department of Recreation and Parksprovides close-to-home recreation and leisure timeopportunities to meet the needs of residents.Public recreation in the District encompasses abroad range of both indoor and outdoor physical,cultural, and social activities.

D.C. Jewish Community Center1836 Jefferson Place, NWWashington, DC 20036(202) 775-1765Executive Director: Arna Meyer MickelsonYouth and Family Division Director: Elona Shaffert

The District of Columbia Jewish CommunityCenter (DCJCC) provides community programs forWashington’s urban Jewish culture. DCJCC’s Youthand Family Division offers a wide variety of pro-grams. The center offers after-school programs andday camps. DCJCC Goes Live for Kids is a series ofperformances for younger children that bringsnationally known performers. The center alsooffers playgroups and a lunch bunch for working

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mothers. DCJCC has both one-week theme campsand summer day camp. Families with children areinvited to participate in select service activitiesyear-round such as gardening in an abandonedurban lot, preparing sandwiches at Martha’s Table,cleaning a section of Rock Creek Park or theAnacostia River Park, etc.

D.C. Music CenterAll Souls Church, Unitarian16th and Harvard Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 265-8324Executive Director: Ellen Carter

The D.C. Music Center is a nonprofit commu-nity school for all ages. It provides affordablemusic lessons for violin, piano, woodwinds, brass,percussion, and guitar, as well as for voice. Thecenter also provides music appreciation classes forpreschoolers and primary grade students.

D.C. Special Olympics220 “I” Street, NESuite 140Washington, DC 20002(202) 544-7770Executive Director: Stephen Hocker

Special Olympics’ mission is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in avariety of Olympic-type sports for children andadults with mental retardation. D.C. SpecialOlympics provides continuing opportunities forthese youth and adults to develop physical fitness,demonstrate courage, experience joy, and partici-pate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendshipwith their families, other Special Olympics ath-letes, and the community.

Duke Ellington School of the Arts3500 R Street, NWWashington, DC 20007(202) 393-3293Executive/Artistic Director: Ms. Carol Foster

The School of the Arts offers a Children’sTheater Camp. The morning program includesdance, drama, and vocal music. Afternoons arefilled with rehearsals and field trips.

Easter Seal Society, Inc.2800 13th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 232-2342Director of Camping and Recreation at FairleeManor: Mr. Mike Currence

Camp Fairlee Manor provides a range of activi-ties including adaptive swimming, sports, andrecreation; canoeing, gardening, sailing, naturestudy, music, dance, arts and crafts, horsebackriding, travel camps, computer camp, high ropes,and overnight camp.

Family and Child Services of Washington, D.C.,Inc.

929 L Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20001(202) 289-1510Executive Director: Rhoda Veney

Family and Child Services is a nonprofit orga-nization that was founded in 1882. Its mission isto improve individual and community life througha broad range of professional services and supportsin areas such as individual, family, and groupcounseling; child placement; camping services;and services for older Americans. Family and ChildServices has a year-round camping program forchildren and youth, conducted at Camp MossHollow, a 400-acre site in Shenandoah NationalPark. The program provides educational, recre-ational, and socialization services for Washingtonmetropolitan area children and youth ages 7–15.

For the Love of Children (FLOC)1711-A Fourteenth Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 462-8686Executive Director: Fred Taylor

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FLOC is a nonprofit organization whose mis-sion is to develop family-centered structuresenabling hurting children to heal and get whatthey need to become fully participating membersof society. FLOC has an Outdoor Education Center,which provides summer experiential educationcamping, year-round leadership training, and men-toring for inner-city youth and their families.

Fort Dupont Community Center24 Ridge Road, SEWashington, DC 20019(202) 645-3874President: Phebbie Scott

The Fort Dupont Community Center offers avariety of programs for its community in Ward 7as well as field trips and day camp opportunitiesfor youth.

Gallaudet University Child Development Center800 Florida Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20002(202) 651-5130Director, Ms. Gail Solit

The center provides day camp for children andstaff who are deaf or hearing impaired and forthose with normal hearing. Various activities areoffered, including computer skills, recreation,speech/language arts, drama, field trips, and swim-ming.

Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital2233 Wisconsin Avenue, NWSuite 410Washington, DC 20007-4187(202) 337-4300Contact: Theresa Harris

Girl Scouts offers opportunities for girls in theDistrict to participate in troop activities as well as avariety of summer camps. Girl Scouts offers anumber of community-based summer day pro-grams throughout the District. (Those interested introop placement or volunteer opportunities, please

contact Theresa Harris in the membership depart-ment at (202) 337-4300, ext. 21 or 22. )

“The Go-Getters Youth Club”Community Research, Inc.1840 B Fenwick Street, NEWashington, DC 20002(202) 526-4039Contact: Mr. Donald Freeman

The “Go-Getters Youth Club” provides recre-ation, social, and cultural activities to youth 9–21years of age. Parents are involved in these activitiesthrough volunteering their services as well asthrough staff-led workshops and counseling. Asneeds surface, staff also serve as supplemental par-ents to the youth.

Greater Washington Boys and Girls ClubMontana Terrace Branch1625 Montana Avenue, NEWashington, DC 20018(202) 529-7222Executive Director: Edgar L. Reese Jr.

The Greater Washington Boys and Girls Clubat Montana Terrace offers a variety of team sportsincluding basketball and softball. They also pro-vide a number of games such as pool and ping-pong in their recreational facility, which is open toall youth ages 6–18.

Indo Chinese Community Center1628 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 462-4330Executive Director: Vilay Chaleunrath

The Indochinese Community Center wasestablished in 1978 by Cambodian and Vietnameserefugees as a nonprofit community-based organiza-tions to foster mutual assistance and a sense of sol-idarity and friendship among the threeIndochinese refugee groups as well as theAmerican community. It offers a variety of servicesand provides a number of cultural activities.

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Kelsey E. Collie Children’s Theater Experience(A Division of Color Me Human Players, Inc.)2236 R Street, NEWashington, DC 20002(202) 399-5920Contact: Professor Kelsey E. Collie

Professor Kelsey E. Collie’s Children’s TheaterExperience, formerly Howard University Children’sTheater (HUCT), introduces young people to thevarious disciplines of theater arts and their applica-tion for the cultural enrichment of everyday life.Through the discipline of the arts, the childrenlearn the roots and tools to fully and freely expressthemselves.

Kingman Boys and Girls Club1529 Kingman Place, NWWashington, DC 20005(202) 483-1210Executive Director: Aaron Webster

The Kingman Boys and Girls Club provideseducation, programs, counseling, employment,athletics and various other recreation programsand activities for youth ages 6–19 in theShaw–Cordoza area of the District.

Latin American Youth Center3045 15th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(other programs at 3047 15th Street, NW, and1470 Irving Street, NW)(202) 483-1140Executive Director: Lori Kaplan

The Latin American Youth Center is a commu-nity-based nonprofit organization which wasestablished in the late 1960s by Latino youth toserve the needs of their peers. Since its inception24 years ago, the LAYC has extended its programto adults, youth, and families of all minority com-munities, including other those of other ethnicand language backgrounds. LAYC hosts a TeenDrop-in Center for youth to participate in a varietyof activities ranging from instrumental music and

mural painting or topic-specific educational andcultural workshops to ping-pong, pool, andweightlifting. An Arts Program also provides multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts activities.The center also hosts a Leadership Program, whichtrains youth and adults in leadership skills, criticalthinking, public speaking, and educational enrich-ment.

Levine School of Music1690 36th Street, NWWashington, DC (202) 337-2227Ms. Janet Hofmeister, Ms. Sally Mennel, Music andArts Camp DirectorsMs. June Huang, Ms. Margy Wright, String CampDirectors

The Levine School of Music offers a D.C. campwith the theme of music, dance, and stories fromLatin America. Activities include storytelling, pup-petry, instrument making, mime and improvisa-tion, singing, acting, and electronic music.

Marshall Heights Community DevelopmentCorporation

3917 Minnesota Avenue, NESecond FloorWashington, DC 20019(202) 396-1200Contact: William Peebles

Marshall Heights Community DevelopmentCorporation offers a number of youth-centeredprograms, including Northeast Performing Arts,Northeast Graphic Arts Programs, FletcherEducational Program for Youth, and the DeanwoodYouth Program. The organization also collaborateswith Boys and Girls Clubs, currently works withthe National Park Service to enhance recreation intheir communities, and also works with othercommunity based organizations to enhance“family fiber”.

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Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs, D.C.4103 Benning Road, NEWashington, DC 20019(202) 397-CLUBExecutive Vice President: Dianne L. J. BrownPolice Director: Lt. Melvin Scott

The mission of the Metropolitan Police Boysand Girls Club, D.C. has been to entice kids off thestreets with recreational activities and to encourageresponsible behavior through interaction with theclub’s police officers. The clubhouse proved to beso popular that the program now includes nineclubhouses and a summer camp, Camp Ernest W.Brown, serving over 12,000 boys and girls. Eachclubhouse offers a choice of team sports includingfootball, basketball, Little League baseball, andsoccer. Some facilities also offer individual sportssuch as boxing, weightlifting, karate, cheerleading,and double-dutch jump roping. The clubhousesalso offer a number of leisure activities such asboard and ball games, jump roping, marbles, jacks,hopscotch, and ping-pong. Some clubhouses havepool, pinball, and computer games. In addition tosports and leisure programs, the clubhouses offertutoring and education programs, life skills semi-nars, job and career counseling, and drug preven-tion programs. All are directed by a dedicated staffof police officers and civilians.

The Mexican Cultural Institute2829 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009(202) 728-1628Contact: Ms. Carolina Esteva

The Mexican Cultural Institute offers asummer arts program that includes drawing,dance, music, puppets, and handicrafts.

National Air and Space MuseumOffice of Public Affairs MRC 3216th Street and Independence Avenue, SWWashington, DC 20560(202) 357-2700

The National Air and Space Museum periodi-cally publishes a calendar of events, many ofwhich are geared towards families. The museumholds a monthly Family Star Watch as well asother special family events.

National Geographic Society17th and M Street, NWWashington, DC(202) 857-7588

The headquarters of the National GeographicSociety offers free exhibits for families. ExplorersHall contains a permanent exhibit (Geographica: ANew Look at the World) and a science center withinteractive computer displays and hands-onexhibits. The National Geographic Society alsohosts a number of lectures and special events in itsauditorium. Call (202) 857-7700 for current infor-mation.

National Museum of Natural HistoryMRC 106Washington, DC 20560(202) 357-2700

The National Museum of Natural History offersa number of special events throughout the year. Ithas a discovery room to enable families to exploreobjects from the museum’s anthropological, bio-logical, geological, and paleontological collections.

National Postal Museum2 Massachusetts Avenue, NEWashington, DC 20560(202) 357-2700

The National Postal Museum publishes a bian-nual calendar of events, many of which are family-oriented. For instance, the Postal Museum recentlyheld a Family Adventure Day, which included a

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workshop enabling children to create their ownstamp collections.

“National Youth Sports”University of the District of Columbia4200 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008(202) 274-5031Director: Ms. Lucille Hester

National Youth Sports Program is designed tomotivate disadvantaged youth to earn and learnself-respect through sports instruction and compe-tition. Youth are given information on career andeducational opportunities, personal health, drugand alcohol abuse, and nutrition, as well as freemedical examinations and meals. The programserves youth ages 10–16.

National Zoological Park (National Zoo)Smithsonian InstitutionWashington, DC 20008-2598(202) 673-3717

The National Zoo provides recreation for thewhole family. In addition to the regular family-friendly exhibits of animals, the zoo offers anumber of special events. From June 29th throughAugust 3, “Sunset Serenades” are presented.

Parklands Community Center3320 Stanton Road, SEB-LevelWashington, DC 20020(202) 678-6500Director: Brenda H. Jones

The Parklands Community Center is a commu-nity-based, nonprofit organization serving resi-dents of Ward 8. It offers children and familiespositive alternatives in the form of recreationalactivities. Its mission is to enhance the quality oflife for children, youth, and families living in at-risk communities. Parklands Community Centeroffers activities such as pool, ping-pong, table boxgames, outdoor sports, talent shows, and regular

field trips to museums, skating rinks, bowlingalleys, cultural activities, and other places.

Salvation Army3335 Sherman Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 829-0100Director: Lt. Livengood

The Salvation Army provides Bible teaching,swimming, arts and crafts, exercise, sports, fieldtrips, and recreation.

Sign of the TimesCultural Workshop and Gallery605 56th Street, NEWashington, DC 20019(202) 399-3400Executive Director: James L. Greggs

The mission of the Sign of the Times CulturalWorkshop and Gallery is to offer year-round,affordable cultural workshops to the residents ofWard 7 in order to provide artistic avenues forexpression of energy and creativity. The centeroffers at-risk residents an opportunity to gain self-esteem and cultural/educational enrichment. Inaddition, it offers many after-school workshops atmany D.C. public schools in Ward 7.

Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InformationSI Building, Room 151 MRC 010Washington, D.C. 20560(202) 357-2700

The Smithsonian Institution includes 16museums and the National Zoo. The Smithsonianoffers a guide for kids and adults, and offersongoing exhibits and events for families. Forexample, the National Museum of AmericanHistory has a “Hands-On History” room. TheNational Air and Space Museum has a demonstra-tion “Forces of Flight,” and a paper-airplane con-test on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. TheNational Museum of Natural History has a

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Naturalist Center and a Discovery Room. TheNational Postal Museum also has a hands-onDiscovery Center. The National Zoological Park hasover 3,000 animals for families to enjoy. In addi-tion, the carousel on the Mall is a great place totake children.

“Southeast Super Leagues”East of the River CDC3101 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, SE, ThirdFloorWashington, DC 20032(202) 561-4974Executive Director: Peter ClareContact: Bruce O’Neal

Southeast Super Leagues involve Ward 8 youthin T-Ball and softball leagues based at publichousing facilities. In the fall, the Southeast SuperLeagues will offer a football league.

“Summer Science Camp”“The Saturday Academy”University of the District of ColumbiaScience and Engineering Center - CPSET, MB 42014200 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20008(202) 274-6283Director: Dr. Winson R. Coleman

The University of the District of Columbia(UDC) offers a Summer Science Camp for academi-cally talented seventh and eighth grade studentsfrom the Washington metropolitan area schools.The camp is designed to provide technical expo-sure for minority students, emphasizing instruc-tional and practical experiences in mathematics,electrical engineering, and computer science. UDCalso offers The Saturday Academy, a precollege pro-gram for academically talented minority students,grades 4–8, from Washington area schools. Thisprogram also emphasizes mathematics, electricalengineering, and computer science. (A parent orguardian must attend two Saturday sessions withtheir child.)

“Therapeutic Recreation Services”D.C. Center for Therapeutic Recreation3030 G Street, SEWashington, DC 20019(202) 645-3993Chief: Theresa Green

The department’s Therapeutic RecreationProgram addresses the recreation and leisure needsof young children, teens, and adults who are men-tally, physically, emotionally, or socially chal-lenged. The department offers a number ofcamping opportunities: Camp Enterprise,Community Camp Program, aquatic classes, JoyEvans Therapeutic Recreation Center, SharpeHealth Therapeutic Recreation Center, and ShadyHill Day Camp.

U.S. National Arboretum3501 New York Avenue, NEWashington, DC 20002(202) 245-2726

The U.S. National Arboretum offers several spe-cial events for children and families including anoutdoor workshop to teach children how to iden-tify common trees using simple leaf keys.

Very Special Arts1331 F Street, NWSuite 800Washington, DC 20004Voice (202) 628-2800TDD (202) 737-0645Acting Chief Executive Officer: Eileen Cuskaden

Very Special Arts is an international organiza-tion that provides opportunities in creativewriting, dance, drama, and the visual arts for chil-dren and adults with disabilities. The organizationwas founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith as aneducational affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts.

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Washington DC Youth OrchestraBrightwood StationP.O. Box 56198Washington, DC 20011(202) 723-1612

The DC Youth Orchestra provides musicalinstruction by professional musicians.

Wo’se Summer Performing Arts Camp633 Allison Street, NWWashington, DC 20011(202) 882-4649Contact: Mr. Aidoo Holmes

The camp’s primary focus is on dance, voice,and drumming. Students make sets and costumesand present a children’s musical.

YMCA1711 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (main branch)Washington, DC 20036(202) 862-9622

The National Capital YMCA has been servingadults, families, and kids since 1978. It offers var-ious aerobic classes, pools, basketball courts, anindoor track, racquet ball and squash courts,weight training equipment, free weights, tread-mills, bikes, and other machines. The YMCA offersseveral family centered activities such asparent/child Tae Kwon Do classes and family swimtime.

YWCA624 Ninth Street, NWWashington, DC 20001-5303(202) 626-0710

The YWCA offers various aerobic classes and apool. It has several family-centered classesincluding the Parents ‘n’ Babes/Tots swimmingclass.

“Youth Intervention”D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks3149 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 576-6361Acting Liaison: Vandale Campbell

Youth Intervention is a referral serviceintended to keep kids off the streets. With a staffof 12 counselors, the branch tries to place at-riskchildren into structured programs such as summercamp, prevention programs, tutoring programs,etc.

“Youth on the Grow”D.C. Department of Recreation and ParksRobert F. Lederer, Sr., Youth Gardens4801 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NETwin Oaks Youth Gardens14th and Taylor Street, NWWashington Youth GardensNational Arboretum3501 New York Avenue, NE(202) 727-6373Director: Lorn Hill

The D.C. Department of Recreation and Parksprovides gardening opportunities for children andteens through a horticulture program conducted atthree sites. Activities are supervised by expert hor-ticulturists who assist children in growing theirown organic products.

“Youth Sports”D.C. Department of Recreation and Parks3149 16th Street, NWWashington, DC 20010(202) 576-6361Director: Luna Harrison

The Youth Sports Office is dedicated toworking with families and neighborhood groups toform various sports leagues includingIntergenerational Slow Pitch League for players asyoung as nine years old.

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American Association for Leisure and Recreation1900 Association DriveReston, VA 22091(703) 476-3472Executive Director: Christen Smith

American Association for Leisure andRecreation is a professional organization dedicatedto enhancing the quality of life of Americansthrough the promotion of creative and meaningfulleisure and recreation experiences.

Carnegie Council on Adolescent DevelopmentTask Force on Youth Development and

Community Programs2400 N Street, NWSixth FloorWashington, DC 20037-1153(202) 429-7979Executive Director: Ruby Takanishi

The Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment is an operating program of CarnegieCorporation of New York. In 1990, the Councilestablished a Task Force on Youth Developmentand Community Programs to assess the potentialof national and local youth organizations in con-tributing to youth development.

Center for Youth Development and PolicyResearch

Academy for Educational Development1225 23rd Street, NWWashington, DC 20037(202) 862-8820Director: Karen J. PittmanContact: Shepard Zeldin

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The Center for Youth Development and PolicyResearch (CYD) was established in 1990 at theAcademy for Educational Development in responseto growing concern about youth problems. CYD’sgoal is to transform concern about youth problemsinto public and private commitment to youth devel-opment. CYD sees its roles as strengthening thecapacity of national, state, local, and communityleaders—both public and private—to craft publicand private policies, programs, and practice stan-dards that are supportive of the country’s youngpeople. CYD has worked extensively on how tobuild supportive communities for youth, and cur-rently is working on a long-term study of theimpact of Boys and Girls Clubs on communities.

Children’s Safety Network2000 15th Street, North, Suite 701Arlington, VA 22201-2617(703) 524-7802Director: Diane Doherty

The Children’s Safety Network (CSN) is a net-work of technical assistance centers working toassist state and other injury prevention agenciescombat the leading public health threat facingchildren and adolescents today—injury and vio-lence.

National Recreation and Parks Association2775 South Quincy StreetArlington, VA 22206(703) 820-4940Executive Director: R. Dean Tice

The National Recreation and Parks Associationseeks to unite park and recreation practitioners

D.C. Family Policy Seminar Recreational Professional Organizations and

Research Institutions

and citizen advocates into a force for health andwellness. NRPA seeks to advance research and sci-entific knowledge, ease community tensions, pre-vent and cure urban and rural deterioration, andameliorate social ills by enriching individuals’ livesthrough recreation, parks, and leisure.

National Therapeutic Recreation Society2775 South Quincy Street, Suite 300Arlington, VA 22206-2204(703) 820-4940Director: Rikki S. Epstein

The National Therapeutic Recreation Society, abranch of the National Recreation and ParksAssociation, is a membership organization withthe belief that leisure and recreation should beavailable to all people, especially those with dis-abilities or limited conditions. People with disabili-ties or limitations may require assistance in usingtheir leisure to enhance their physical, social, emo-tional, intellectual, and spiritual abilities. Thesociety promotes the development of therapeuticrecreation in order to ensure quality services andto protect and promote the rights of personsreceiving services.

President’s Council on Physical Fitness andSports

701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Suite 250Washington, DC 20004(202) 272-3430Contact Person: Matthew Guidry, Ph.D., DeputyActing Executive Director

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness andSports (PCPFS) encourages schools, business andindustry, government, recreation agencies, andyouth service organizations to develop and main-tain physical fitness and sports programs. Thecouncil disseminates information, provides tech-nical assistance, conducts clinics, and distributespublications on physical fitness and sports for allU.S. populations. The President’s Council recentlycreated a Family Fitness Award.

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D.C. Recreation and Parks: Important Numbers

Office of Public Information (202) 673-7660

Adult Sports/League Activities (202) 645-3939

Before and After School Care (202) 576-7132

Camping/Day/Residential (202) 576-6298

Cooperative Play (202) 576-7278

Cultural Activities (202) 673-7663

Day Care (202) 576-7226

Hispanic Liaison (202) 673-2088

Permits/Special Services (202) 673-7646

Senior Citizens (202) 576-8677

Stagecraft & Logistical Services (202) 673-6854

Swimming (202) 576-6436

Therapeutic Recreation Services (202) 645-3993

Transportation (202) 673-7711

Volunteers-in-Action (202) 576-6630

Youth Intervention (202) 576-8570

Youth Sports (202) 576-6361

Youth and Urban Gardens (202) 727-6373

Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. AMatter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in theNonschool Hours. [New York]: CarnegieCorporation of New York, 1992.

Children’s Safety Network. A Data Book of Childand Adolescent Injury. Washington, DC:National Center for Education in Maternal andChild Health, 1991.

District of Columbia Department of Recreationand Parks. Challenge and Opportunity: Chartinga New Course for Recreation in the District ofColumbia: The Comprehensive Recreation Plan,1993–1998. Washington, D.C.: District ofColumbia Government, 1993.

Foley, Jack and Veda Ward. “Recreation, the Riotsand a Healthy LA.” Parks and Recreation. March1993, 66–69, 163.

Frost, Joe L. “Young Children and PlaygroundSafety.” Wortham, Sue C. and Joe L. Frost Eds.Playgrounds for Young Children: NationalSurvey and Perspectives. Reston, Virginia:American Alliance for Health, PhysicalEducation, Recreation and Dance, 1990.

Galambos, Linda and Renee Lee, Pam Rahn andBrenda Williams. “The ADA Getting Beyond theDoor.” Parks and Recreation. April 1994. 67–71.

Green, Morris Ed. Bright Futures: Guidelines forHealth Supervision of Infants, Children, andAdolescents. Arlington, VA: National Center forEducation in Maternal and Child Health, 1994.

Hartle, Lynn and James E. Johnson. “Historical andContemporary Influences of Outdoor PlayEnvironments.” Children on Playgrounds:Research Perspectives and Applications. Craig H.Hart, Ed. Albany, State University of New YorkPress, 1993.

Hechinger, Fred M. Fateful Choices: Healthy Youthfor the 21st Century. [New York]: Carnegie

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Council on Adolescent Development/ CarnegieCorporation of New York, 1992.

Isaacs, Mareasa. The Impact of CommunityViolence on African Children and Families:Collaborative Approaches to Prevention andIntervention. Arlington, Virginia: NationalCenter for Education in Maternal and ChildHealth, 1992.

Kraus, Richard. Leisure in a Changing America:Multicultural Perspectives. New York: MacmillianCollege Publishing Company, 1994.

McCormick. Suzanne. “The Changing AmericanFamily At Play.” Parks and Recreation. July 1991,44–49.

McLaughlin, Milbrey W. and Merita A. Irby, JuliettLangman. Urban Sanctuaries: NeighborhoodOrganizations in the Lives and Futures of Inner-City Youth. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers,1994.

National Commission on Children. Speaking ofKids: A National Survey of Children and Parents.Washington, DC, 1991.

National Institute of Health. Conference on SportsInjuries in Youth: Surveillance Strategies:Executive Summary. Bethesda, Maryland:National Institute of Health, 1992.

National Research Council. Losing Generations:Adolescents in High-Risk Settings. Washington,DC: National Academy Press, 1993.

Needham, Paula. “Taking Recreation to the Streets.”Parks and Recreation. March 1994, 70–73.

S.W. Morris & Company. What Young AdolescentsWant and Need From Out-Of-School Programs: AFocus Group Report. Paper commissioned by TheCarnegie Council on Adolescent Development.

Works Cited

Seefeldt, Vern, and Martha Ewing, Stephan Walk.Overview of Youth Sports Programs in theUnited States. Paper Commissioned by theCarnegie Council on Adolescent Developmentfor its Task Force on Youth Development andCommunity Programs., Washington, DC, 1993.

Smith, Christen. Overview of Youth RecreationPrograms in the United States. Paper commis-sioned by the Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment., Washington, DC, 1991.

Urban Recreation and At-Risk Youth Act of 1994,Report 103–444. Y1.1/8 103–444.

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