Make That Six: Cerritos Named a “Playful City USA” Once Again

For the sixth consecutive year, the city of Cerritos has been named a “Playful City USA” in honor of the city's efforts to provide outstanding recreation programs and facilities for children.

KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that is dedicated to saving play, dubbed 217 communities from across the country with the designation Playful City USA.

Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the nation that make a commitment to play and physical activity by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their communities.

KaBOOM! selected Cerritos for its outstanding dedication to play, noting the special recess programs offered for students by the city's Recreation Services Division.

“Cerritos also organizes regular programs in parks to give neighbors an opportunity to meet each other and build community," KaBOOM! representative Mike Vietti noted. "Creating community awareness about the importance of unstructured play is also achieved by hosting regular play days during the course of the year.”

Cerritos Mayor Bruce Barrows also chimed in on the honor.

“The City of Cerritos is proud to be a Playful City USA. The City is dedicated to providing outstanding recreation programs and facilities for children," he said. "Cerritos offers a variety of excellent youth sports leagues, plus swimming, golf and tennis lessons.”

The city boasts 25 parks and recreation facilities, including neighborhood parks, community centers, the Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center, the Cerritos Iron Wood-Nine Golf Course and the Cerritos Sports Complex. The gymnasiums at Cerritos and Whitney high schools offer two additional facilities for recreation.

According to KaBOOM! representatives, the organization advocates for local policies that increase play opportunities for children and combat the play deficit. Playful City USA communities create best practices to reach those same goals. They serve as role models for other communities and prove that enhancing children's well-being by increasing the opportunity for play is an attainable goal for every community.

For a variety of fun classes and sports for all ages, look for the “Community Services Program” in the February, May, August and November issues of “The Cerritos News.” 

The city's website at cerritos.us also offers extensive information about fitness programs and facilities under the “Recreation” link.