The partnership for play every day

For America’s youth, the time to play is today. 
Our mission is to ensure that all American youth have at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day 

National Partnership Takes Action to Get Kids Moving. 
In a voluntary and collaborative initiative of unprecedented scope, the YMCA of the USA, the National
Recreation and Park Association and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education are working together as conveners of The Partnership for Play Every Day to increase the spaces and quality of play for
our country’s children and youth.  These organizations have a proud legacy of providing physical education, physical activity, childcare, after school programs and youth sports to millions of children throughout the
country.  The challenge today is to reach all our kids, especially those who aren’t afforded these same opportunities.  Through this dynamic collaboration with more than 30 of the nation’s leading non-profits, government agencies, academic organizations and corporations, we can create and sustain the momentum
for a national movement to have kids get 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

But our nation faces a crisis of sedentary lifestyles:

• Eighteen percent of U.S. children are overweight, with alarming increases in “adult-type” diseases—
  Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. 
• Only one-third of high school children get 60 minutes of physical activity daily. They spend an average
  of six hours daily in front of a computer or TV screen. 
• The increased focus on academics and homework has impacted physical education and physical activity
  in schools and after-school programs.
• Three decades ago, 48 percent of children walked to and from school. Today, that figure is only
  19 percent.
• Federal funding for parks, playgrounds, trails and open space has decreased.
• There is a shortage of resources for engaging children in daily physical activity.

The Partnership for Play will challenge its members to:

• Increase the number of youth participating in 60 minutes a day of quality physical activity in the before, during and after school settings.
• Increase the number of adequate spaces for youth to engage in physical activity in any setting.
• Increase the number of voices supporting expanded opportunities for physical activity at the local,
  state and national levels.