KABOOM!

KABOOM! Spaces to play. Sparks for change. Our mission: End playspace inequity. For good.

We amplify the power of communities to build inspiring playspaces that spark unlimited opportunities for every kid, everywhere.

As the new school year kicks off, we're taking a moment to celebrate the school district partners who've helped KABOOM! ...
08/21/2026

As the new school year kicks off, we're taking a moment to celebrate the school district partners who've helped KABOOM! reimagine what a schoolyard can be.

Over the years, we've worked alongside districts across the country to transform empty, asphalt-covered lots into playgrounds, nature exploration areas, outdoor classrooms, and teaching gardens — spaces where students can build physical, social, and emotional skills long before the bell rings for class. None of this happens without partners willing to reimagine what's possible for their students.

Learn more about our partnerships at kaboom.org

One of the most underutilized tools for addressing the youth mental health crisis isn't a program, policy, or app. It's ...
08/20/2026

One of the most underutilized tools for addressing the youth mental health crisis isn't a program, policy, or app.

It's young people themselves.

In her essay for the State of Our Kids report, National Youth Leadership Council CEO Amy Meuers makes a research-backed case that civic engagement, service-learning, and meaningful youth leadership opportunities are among the most effective mental health interventions available to us — fostering purpose, belonging, resilience, and hope in a generation that is desperately searching for all four.

The data on social media and passive screen time is clear. Young people who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety. The antidote isn't just less screen time. It's more meaningful connection — the kind that comes from being trusted to lead.

When we create real spaces for young people to share their voices and drive change, they don't just feel better. They build something better. For themselves and for their communities.

Read Amy's full essay.

🔗 https://bit.ly/4ww9gxW

For students at the Buckeye Union High School District (BUHSD) Learning Center in Phoenix, recess used to mean watching ...
08/19/2026

For students at the Buckeye Union High School District (BUHSD) Learning Center in Phoenix, recess used to mean watching from the sidelines — a 15-year-old playground wasn't built for kids with mobility challenges or visual impairments. Every barrier was one more missed chance to belong.

That changed when BUHSD partnered with KABOOM! on a fully inclusive playspace, designed with students at a Design Day event before ground ever broke. The result: an OmniSpin® spinner accessible to wheelchairs and walkers, a Sway Fun® Glider, braille signage, harnessed swings, and space built for connection.

"Most playgrounds are built with kids without disabilities in mind. The whole process and the inclusivity of the process were beautiful," said Dr. Corey Jones, site administrator of Desert Choice Schools.

More than 200 volunteers showed up on build day, with partners Discover and Fairytale Brownies helping fund additional inclusive elements. "No child should ever be forgotten or left behind," said Eileen Spitalny, co-founder of Fairytale Brownies, a KABOOM! partner since 2001.

Since build day, recess at BUHSD is something students look forward to — new friendships, new games, and a schoolyard full of laughter.

This is what playspace equity looks like when a community shows up for kids of every ability. To learn more about our partnership, visit https://bit.ly/4wBLkcQ

In Oakland, only 19% of boys and 9% of girls get 60+ minutes of daily physical activity. One reason: neighborhoods of co...
08/14/2026

In Oakland, only 19% of boys and 9% of girls get 60+ minutes of daily physical activity. One reason: neighborhoods of color have access to 66% less park space per person than predominantly white ones.

Since 2021, KABOOM! has partnered with Oakland Unified School District with support from the Eat Learn Play Foundation to turn asphalt lots into playgrounds, nature exploration areas, teaching gardens, and outdoor classrooms — reimagining schoolyards as spaces for the whole child, not just recess.

By the end of 2026, this partnership will complete 28 schoolyard transformations, giving 8,600 students a year better spaces to move, play, and grow.

Because physical activity, mental health, and academic success aren't separate — they're connected. This back-to-school season, we're celebrating what's possible when a district reimagines what a schoolyard can be.

"This partnership has been a godsend for OUSD," says former Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

As kids head back to class this fall, more of them are walking out to schoolyards built for joy.

To learn more about our Oakland partnership, visit https://bit.ly/4t1l6Qd

Photo Credit: Noah Graham

As families head back to school this month, most of the conversation centers on classrooms, curriculum, and supply lists...
08/12/2026

As families head back to school this month, most of the conversation centers on classrooms, curriculum, and supply lists. But for our youngest learners — kids ages 0 to 5 — some of the most important development happens outside the classroom entirely.

Research shows the first five years of life are critical for brain development, yet most outdoor spaces aren't designed with babies, toddlers, or preschoolers in mind. That's the gap KABOOM!'s Early Childhood Playspace Design Toolkit was built to close. Developed with support from the Overdeck Family Foundation and shaped by a national advisory council of early childhood experts, the toolkit equips early learning providers, city leaders, and planners with research-backed strategies for designing outdoor spaces that support development, equity, and climate resilience.

It's worth remembering: readiness isn't just built at a desk. It's built through play — long before a child ever walks into a kindergarten classroom.

Explore the toolkit: https://bit.ly/4nUtiPB

This back to school season, here's something worth putting on every school board agenda:Recess has been cut almost in ha...
08/10/2026

This back to school season, here's something worth putting on every school board agenda:

Recess has been cut almost in half over the past two decades — from 37 minutes a day in 2001 to just 19.5 minutes in 2024. And kids are now sitting at their desks for 6–8 hours a day with minimal movement breaks.

We cut the one thing that helps them focus, regulate, and show up.
The research in KABOOM!'s State of Our Kids report is clear: children who spend just 60 minutes outside daily have a 50% lower risk of mental health issues. Green schoolyards are linked to better focus, reduced ADHD symptoms, and stronger attendance. Physical activity is 2–3x higher when kids are outside vs. indoors.

A great school environment isn't just about what happens inside the building. This fall, let's fight for every child's right to recess — and to a real childhood filled with joy.

🔗 kaboom.org/sook

08/08/2026

As students across the country head back to class this fall, we're highlighting a special partnership in Atlanta that's redefining what school infrastructure can do for kids.

KABOOM! has joined Atlanta Public Schools, the City of Atlanta Government, Children & Nature Network, and Trust for Public Land on the Community School Parks Initiative — a shared commitment to transform schoolyards into quality outdoor spaces for play and learning. The vision: every APS school gets a Community School Park supporting kids' mental and physical health, academic achievement, and sense of belonging.

KABOOM! has built more than 16 playgrounds across Atlanta Public Schools over the past 25 years, and once the first phase is complete, more than 5,000 students and neighborhood children will have greater access to green space and high-quality playgrounds.

This is what cross-sector collaboration can achieve when a school district, a city, and mission-aligned nonprofits show up together for kids. Grateful to be building this future alongside partners like Atlanta Public Schools and the City of Atlanta.

Every kid deserves a schoolyard where they can thrive and enjoy the freedom of childhood.

Every parent knows something has shifted. The anxiety at drop-off. The friend group drama that never turns off because t...
08/07/2026

Every parent knows something has shifted.

The anxiety at drop-off. The friend group drama
that never turns off because the phones never do. The kid who seems fine but isn't.

You're not imagining it.

Between 2016 and 2023, mental health diagnoses among adolescents rose 35%. And the forces driving this crisis — screen time, shrinking access to play, safe outdoor spaces stripped from communities — are ones we can actually change.

KABOOM!'s State of Our Kids report was built with young people, for all of us. Because understanding what our kids are up against is the first step to changing it.
Read it — and share it with every parent you know. kaboom.org/sook.

08/06/2026

That's Harry Hirsch at his 3rd birthday party. This week Harry turns 16 and is showing up for play. 🎂

Harry and his family have been KABOOM! supporters since he was two years old. For over a decade he's asked for the same birthday gift every year: donations to KABOOM! instead of presents, raising thousands of dollars for play.

Because a birthday only comes around once a year, but the need for safe playspaces is every single day. Where a kid lives shouldn't decide whether they get to play.

🎁 Donate in honor of Harry's birthday — https://bit.ly/4q14KWS.

Meet Harry. He's 15, he just finished his freshman year, and he's been a KABOOM! supporter since he was TWO YEARS OLD. F...
08/06/2026

Meet Harry. He's 15, he just finished his freshman year, and he's been a KABOOM! supporter since he was TWO YEARS OLD.

For over a decade, Harry has donated his birthday to KABOOM! instead of asking for gifts — raising thousands of dollars so kids everywhere can have safe places to play.

This year, his advocacy took him all the way to Washington, D.C., where he met with his Congressional delegation to push for the PLAY Act and kids' right to recess. He even took home a Spark Award for 16 years of his family's dedication to our mission. 💜

Play changed Harry's childhood. Now he's making sure it can change someone else's.

This is what looks like — one kid, one birthday, one voice at a time.

📖 Read Harry's full story on our blog https://bit.ly/4wciVd7 — trust us, it's worth it.

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Bethesda, MD

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Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

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