The NYC Playground Program connects schools and communities to create playgrounds at schools in New York City. There are several benefits these playgrounds offer for the students at the schools and their neighbors living in the surrounding community. Read the article below to learn more from Mary Alice Lee and Maddalena Polletta!

Q: Why is it important to create community parks in New York City?

Mary Alice: I think one of the most important things is to provide open space access to every community in New York City. We're delighted to be working with PLANYC to build 123 playgrounds in all five boroughs. Through this, we'll create more open space and accomplish PLANYC's goal of making sure that all New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The Trust for Public Land is committed to looking at areas that don't have enough park and recreation space. We then go into those communities and work with them to create a space that suits their needs.

Creating community parks is a good way to connect people with nature. I think when you're living in an urban environment; you don't necessarily have those connections. Through our workshops about stewardship with community members, we really try to teach people how to take care of the natural environments, like gardens and areas with lots of trees and plants, which we create.

Q: Why are the playgrounds good for students?

Maddalena: Our program wants to provide areas where entire communities can get physically active so we're building areas for people to play sports and get exercise, such as through gardening, walking around the track, and playing outside. The playgrounds we build are good for your health.

Mary Alice: There have been studies that show that more physical activity and exercise may lead to higher test scores for students. A lot of times teachers tell us that when they send their kids out for recess, they focus better in the classroom later in the day. Many times physical education classes take place on the playgrounds. This can be a safer place than many indoor spaces because there is less worry about tripping and other hazards. It also gives the students the chance to go outside more often and be more physically active.

Q: What makes the playgrounds good for the community?

Maddalena: We've found that members of the community and parents are getting active by using the track. They are small tracks that are really easy for people to manage because they are small enough for people to begin walking around. They can start out walking and then move onto jogging.

Mary Alice: The playgrounds attract people because they are a nice place to spend time.

Maddalena: The closeness to people's homes is important. Not everybody can travel across the city to go to a playground or park. These playgrounds are a place for sports and exercise right across the street or down the block from your house. This is key to making it part of your regular daily activity.

If your local school is interested in having a new playground, Mary Alice and Maddalena would be happy to talk to them about the program and application process. Since the program is looking for schools that are connected to the community, there are a lot of opportunities to get involved in your neighborhood. TPL would be happy to work on more sites in Harlem because it's a great neighborhood that needs more open space! Email Mary Alice at maryalice.lee@tpl.org or Maddalena at Maddalena.Polletta@tpl.org for more information!

Read more from Mary Alice and Maddalena by clicking the links below: 

• How non-profit Trust for Public Land protects open space in New York City
• How the Trust for Public Land helps build playgrounds at New York City schools
• Why it's difficult to build fun, exciting playgrounds in New York City
• How schools and communities can work together to build playgrounds in New York City 
• Elements of the Harlem playgrounds constructed by NYC Playground Program
  
• How the playgrounds built by the NYC Playground Program are "green"

To listen to our interview with Mary Alice Lee and Maddalena Polletta, click here for our podcast page.

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with Harlem health experts, written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.