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AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University released the Child Opportunity Index 2.0. With this new release they identified success stories of communities spurred to action by the release of the Child Opportunity Index 1.0 in 2015. The City of Albany is one of these.
The 2015 release found that Albany was the lowest ranked of 100 major cities in the US in terms of opportunity for healthy development of Hispanic and black children. Mayor Kathy Sheehan partnered with Jonathan Jones, Commissioner of Recreation, Youth & Workforce on how to fix this deficit. They decided to solve this by refurbishing parks and adding play and fitness equipment throughout the city.
"We've redone 13 parks and many have intergenerational features, like fitness equipment to help the whole family. Each new park has ADA compliant equipment, so all of our residents could play," says Jones. "Albany is a neighborhood city, and the parks connect the neighborhoods."
Albany partnered with KOMPAN to build unique playgrounds reflecting each set of surroundings and geography in the 13 playgrounds and fitness areas constructed so far.
"Not only is [each park] a place for our young people to meet friends, create networks, there are a lot of apparatus' here that are going to challenge them not only physically but mentally," added Jones.
With the release of the recent update to the Child Opportunity Index, the value of the addition of these playgrounds has been proven. The City of Albany has risen 29 spots on list over the course of 5 years.
SOURCE Kompan Inc Americas
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The 2015 release found that Albany was the lowest ranked of 100 major cities in the US in terms of opportunity for healthy development of Hispanic and black children. Mayor Kathy Sheehan partnered with Jonathan Jones, Commissioner of Recreation, Youth & Workforce on how to fix this deficit. They decided to solve this by refurbishing parks and adding play and fitness equipment throughout the city.
"We've redone 13 parks and many have intergenerational features, like fitness equipment to help the whole family. Each new park has ADA compliant equipment, so all of our residents could play," says Jones. "Albany is a neighborhood city, and the parks connect the neighborhoods."
Albany partnered with KOMPAN to build unique playgrounds reflecting each set of surroundings and geography in the 13 playgrounds and fitness areas constructed so far.
"Not only is [each park] a place for our young people to meet friends, create networks, there are a lot of apparatus' here that are going to challenge them not only physically but mentally," added Jones.
With the release of the recent update to the Child Opportunity Index, the value of the addition of these playgrounds has been proven. The City of Albany has risen 29 spots on list over the course of 5 years.
SOURCE Kompan Inc Americas
