Grantee Spotlight: Summer Free Play Zones

This past summer provided an opportunity for Project Play Western New York to create a grant process for Free Play Zones, a way for families and the community to come together and enjoy free play in a safe environment. It also gave families an opportunity to learn more about the programming or facility in which the zones are being held. Explore & More Children’s Museum, Lockport Ice Arena and The YMCA of the Twin Tiers hosted free play programming events in their respective counties during July and August.

Explore & More Children’s Museum created Free Play Fridays that ran July 2 through August 27. Each Friday was a different theme and they partnered with Algonquin Sports to provide free programming that combined free play and physical play. The purpose of this approach was to introduce children to a variety of sports and emphasize the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Lockport Ice Arena and Sports Center hosted Thursday Thrills at Cornerstone Arena. Thursday Thrills ran for nine weeks and was designed to provide families with free play and sports sampling opportunities both on ice and dry land rinks at no cost.

The YMCA of the Twin Tiers hosted Free Play Fridays for the families of Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. The programming provided fun activities both inside and outside the facility that encouraged active play with the whole family.

Building off of the success of the Free Play Zones series, Project Play WNY is seeking additional partners to run similar programming in December and January. If your organization is interested in partnering or would like additional information, email Alicia Contreras at aliciac@cfgb.org. Be sure to follow @projectplaywny on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest events and play opportunities.