Despite the fact that New York City is home to nearly 2,000 parks, including playgrounds, gardens, and waterways, finding places to play outside can pose a challenge. City budget cuts will make it much harder to keep these community spaces — which are vital to the physical and mental health and social development of New York City’s kids — safe and clean.
While the COVID-19 pandemic pushed many to get outside and into their parks as indoor activities were restricted, the aftermath has pulled us in the opposite direction. People are staying home more, and school attendance is at record lows. As children become more reliant on screens, youth mental health has plummeted. The majority of news that children hear about the natural environment focuses on the existential threat of climate change.
As children become more isolated and reliant on devices, reporting increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, they need built-in time during or after classes to interact with their outdoor surroundings — especially in our parks and community spaces. Unfortunately, budget cuts have made these spaces more vulnerable to health and safety hazards, especially for children.
Getting our kids into parks more frequently can not only make them happier, but also is often associated with opportunities to learn knowledge and skills that can lead into meaningful careers and instill a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. Making our parks accessible also encourages children of all abilities to be active. As kids spend more time indoors and sedentary, both their mental and physical health suffers.
Furthermore, findings from a recent study from the Trust for Public Land show that city residents who live near well-maintained parks forge more social connections and engage more frequently with neighbors than residents of cities who lack these community spaces.
More than a quarter of these social connections, on average, were reported between low- and high-income individuals, denoting the ability of parks to encourage connections across disparities. These residents are also 60% more likely to volunteer in their communities.
It follows that children in these cities may have more positive experiences and feel more comfort, connection, and care in their communities. Being active, connecting with nature, learning hands-on skills, and becoming more engaged community members are just a few benefits of getting kids outside.
Luckily, this is a goal we can meet with dedicated in-school and after school programming around the important role that parks play. City Parks Foundation has decades of experience providing city kids with science-based learning opportunities during and after school. Furthermore, these programs are low cost or free of charge.
It’s not every day that one hears about NYC kids using nets to scoop up aquatic organisms or testing the water quality in their very own rivers or beaches. Programs like Coastal Classroom provide kids with access to their natural world in a way that NYC natives wouldn’t expect — and the results are palpable. Children who complete the program are excited about their surroundings, associating learning and spending time in the outdoors with joy and fun rather than gloom and doom.
Partnerships with community organizations are hugely important as well. It is not only budget restoration and increased funding that is needed but also an ear on the ground to listen to the people who are doing this work every day and seeing the effects on our kids. Partnerships for Parks’ It’s My Park Program — a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks — is just one example of how neighborhood residents can get involved in maintaining, supporting, and spending time in their local green spaces.
This goes beyond New York — getting kids into green spaces is a pressing local issue with global implications. With nearly 70% of the world’s population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, New York has the opportunity to set an example and lead the charge as one of the largest and most influential city centers.
We can only truly celebrate community and nature together when we address the accessibility of our parks — during the school day, on the weekends, and any time when children are in need of sunshine and outdoor activities. Everyone deserves a clean and safe local park, and only when we achieve this will we be able to ensure equitable access for all New Yorkers.
Let’s renew our focus on making parks essential to the fabric of our communities and the well-being of our young people through consistent care, funding, and programming.
Word is director of education at City Parks Foundation (CPF), a nonprofit dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers.
