King County Play Equity Coalition

A King County in which all youth are active through sports, play, and outdoor recreation

Project Description

The Play Equity Coalition is a collective impact approach anchored in cross sector community based collaboration. Through a common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, with backbone organizational support, the Coalition aims to increase the rates of King County youth meeting the CDC’s Physical Activity Recommendations. Currently, only 19% of youth in King County are physically active an hour a day as the CDC recommends. Myriad barriers – such as rising costs of the pay to play model, transportation, program design, & policies – create inequities of access disproportionately impacting youth of color, immigrant youth, youth of low-income families, & youth with disabilities.The Coalition aims to address the systems change necessary so all youth have access to the mental, emotional, academic, and physical health benefits of physical activity.

Baseball Beyond Borders increases access through improving, refining and elevating its work with partnerships.
The George Pocock Rowing Foundation partners with local school districts to introduce rowing to youth through PE.
Seattle Adaptive Sports provides youth with physical activities access to sports & recreation.
Cascade Bicycle Club’s Major Taylor Program partners with local schools to empower youth through bicycling in after-school clubs.
The Multicultural Soccer Tournament started as a partnership between Congolese Integration Network, Cham Refugee Community, Bhutanese Community Resource Center, & Somali Community Services of Seattle to reduce cost barriers & build community.
The International Refugee Committee teachers social emotional learning and reduces barriers to youth participation outdoor recreation.

King County's Committment to the Play Equity Coalition

Project News

Creating Equitable Access to Physical Activity for Youth

Play Equity Coalition members developed a Return to Play resource to help organizations and agencies evaluate inclusion and equity while planning for re-opening.

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