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Police Athletic League Brings Free and Safe Summer Fun to Brooklyn Kids

The free Playstreets program keeps children engaged in a wealth of recreational and arts activities in a safe environment.
PAL Playstreets, BK Reader
Photo credit: NY Metro Parents

The free Playstreets program keeps children engaged in a wealth of recreational and arts activities in a safe environment.

Playstreets will run through August 9.
Photo credit: NY Metro Parents

The Police Athletic League (PAL), one of the city's largest youth nonprofit organizations which has been consistently providing opportunities for local children and youth since 1914, kicked off its 2018 Playstreets season on Thursday, July 5, and will be running through August 9. This year, Brooklyn kids have five locations in our borough to partake in the summer fun.

Through the Summer Playstreets program children can engage in a wealth of activities while parents can feel at ease knowing that their children are in a safe and supervised environment. All Playstreets are supervised by a site director, an arts specialist and a sports specialist. To facilitate these activities, the program closes off certain streets and utilizes public spaces like parks, playgrounds and also extends its initiative to selected New York City homeless shelters, providing homeless youth with much-needed play time. New York City kids can play traditional sidewalk games, develop their creativity through the arts and learn from a wide range of recreational and cultural arts facilitators. Featured activities include soccer, basketball, double dutch, tie-dying, mosaics, bracelet making and outdoor board games. 

Playstreets will run through August 9.
Photo credit: hiveminer.com

The youngsters also learn how to identify members of their local NYPD precinct as well as their local elected officials, fostering strong relationships and an increased sense of community. PAL has redesigned their summer schedule into a measurable, goal-oriented program with set objectives and performance targets. In addition, the program offers enhanced activities with a crime prevention curriculum that was developed by the National Crime Prevention Council.

Playstreets are open Monday through Thursday 11:00am to 4:00pm through August 9, and are free to all New York City children. At the end of the summer, Playstreets culminate in a Borough Day in each of the five boroughs — a free celebration in a public park for local children and their families to eat, play and bond. In Brooklyn, there are five designated Playstreets locations:

  • Howard Playground, 60 Glenmore Avenue
  • Willoughby Playground, 130 Vernon Avenue
  • Bushwick Houses, 372 Bushwick Avenue
  • Fox Playground, 5324 Avenue H
  • Red Hook Houses, 55 Dwight Street

Click here for more information.




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