Youth Development / PLAY

Empowering Kids
Through Movement and Play

PLAY brings high-quality physical education to elementary schools across Los Angeles—reaching more than 50,000 students on 95 campuses every year. Led by trained instructors, each lesson is built on California State Standards and designed to get kids moving, learning teamwork, and building lifelong healthy habits.

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What to Expect

PLAY helps kids feel good in their bodies, build self-esteem and teamwork, and develop a healthy relationship with physical exercise. This program is about more than physical education—it’s about helping to bring up well rounded people.

Each class lasts 45-55 minutes and includes warm-ups, stretching, cardiovascular, muscular strength and endurance, and skill development activities. However to ensure safety, the coach-to-student ratio cannot exceed 1:30.

Our curriculum units are:

  • Skill Set: Basketball, Soccer, Ball Hockey, Track & Field, Volleyball, Football, Body Discipline, Fitness, Frisbee, Jump Rope, Movement & Exploration, Parachute Play, Playground Games, Scoops, and Hula Hoop.
  • Education: Character Development, Nutrition, Fitness Concepts, Muscular Strength & Endurance, Flexibility, Body Composition, and Injury Prevention.

Classes are led by PLAY Program Directors, who oversee all school sites and hold a Bachelor’s Degrees in Kinesiology, Physical Education, Exercise Science, or a related field.

All staff also complete extensive PLAY program training, child abuse prevention, and positive child discipline training. Additionally, they have at least one year of experience working with children ages 5-12.

For more information about the PLAY Program, contact Erica Snyder, Operations Executive Director, at EricaSnyder@ymcala.org or (818) 798-8705.

Ready to Join?

Who Can Join

All schools are welcome to partner with our PLAY Program!