KABOOM! Partners with Eat. Learn. Play. in Support of SB 291

In December 2022, Eat. Learn. Play., KABOOM!, Oakland Unified School District, The Bhusri Family, Ripple, and Silver Lake, partnered to build a new schoolyard for students at OUSD’s Global Family Elementary, complete with a playground, multi-sport court, mural, and garden, plus a donation of new laptops.

Eat. Learn. Play. in partnership with KABOOM! has been remodeling schoolyards throughout Oakland to be amazing spaces for all Oakland students to have equitable and safe access to play and learn. That’s why together, we are proud to express our support for Senate Bill 291 (SB 291), which would mandate that kids have access to 30-minutes of recess each school day.

Specifically in California, the bill would require, commencing with the 2024–25 school year, a school district, county office of education, or charter school to provide a daily recess, as defined, of at least 30 minutes. The bill would prohibit school staff members from restricting a pupil’s recess unless there is an immediate threat to the physical safety of the pupil or the physical safety of one or more of the pupil’s peers, as provided. To the extent that the bill imposes new requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The support for SB 291 is another step in the continued efforts between Eat. Learn. Play and KABOOM! to provide opportunities for kids in Oakland to play and live physically active lives. Together, Eat. Learn. Play and KABOOM! have revitalized 4 school and community playspaces, with another 6 schoolyard remodels planned this year across Oakland Elementary Schools.

As we learned from our State of Play Oakland Report, which offered an assessment of the state of youth sports and physical activity in Oakland, youth in Oakland are less physically active than the nation, where only 14% of youth in Oakland meet the 60 minutes of physical activity per day recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, below the national average of 23%. Oakland girls (9%) are less likely to be sufficiently physically active than boys (19%). Physical activity decreases as youth get older.

We understand we can’t do this work alone and appreciate the tremendous support from our village of community partners and supporters.