The American Academy of Dermatology offers a Shade Structure Grant program and is offering grants of $8000 each to fund permanent outdoor shade structures designed provide shade and ultraviolet ray protection.

Applications for the 2009 Shade Structure Program are now available for download. The applications can be filed electronically anytime between now and are April 10, 2009.
Introducing Peaceful Playgrounds "Featured Articles". Bi-monthly Peaceful Playgrounds will publish a featured article on our website. Below is a short description of the first five posted articles.

Recess is on the Upswing

The growing support for daily recess is gaining momentum. Parents, educators, and public health organizations have all engaged in the effort to bring back daily recess for elementary school students.Low-Cost High-…
The growing support for daily recess is gaining momentum. Parents, educators, and public health organizations have all engaged in the effort to bring back daily recess for elementary school students. Their combined efforts are getting some amazing results! In the past 2 years, 15 states have enacted resolutions or recommendations for daily recess for elementary school students. The strategies behind this successful effort to reinstate reces…
Kaboom! a non-profit company helps schools and parks build playgrounds across the country. They are conducting 4 "We Play!" Workshops next month. Trainings will be held in Denver, Cleveland, NYC and Atlanta. It's your opportunity to learn how to be an advocate for playgrounds.

Best of all, the trainings are FREE! Don't miss this opportunity to work on behalf of children and play.

Please note the corrected link ...........…
A frequent question that we answer here at Peaceful Playgrounds is : "How much space do I need to take advantage of the Peaceful Playgrounds Program and stencils sets?" We point out that while we offer 4 different blueprints and designs with approximately 100 game choices and no one puts ALL the games and markings on the playground. We recommend that you select a few games from each blueprint so that you have developmentally appropr…
Have you ever wondered why some schools report few incidents of bullying and kids report that they feel safe at school while other students report just the opposite?

The design of the playground makes a big difference in both physical and emotional safety at recess. The following suggestions are some playground redesign questions that impact playground safety.

1. Can a supervisor see all children at all times on the playground? Unsupervised chi…
The 2008 Carol White PEP Grant winners were announced in a press release yesterday by the Department of Education Safe Schools Office. Ninety-seven schools, districts, and organizations were selected in this first round of funding.

The purpose of the PEP Grant Program is to provide funds to local education agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve K-12 Physical Education Programs. The funding it to be used to …