What's Working: Free Play for Kids with Tim Adams

When Tim Adams noticed an abundance of siblings watching their brothers play on an after school soccer team, he started to design a program that would accommodate childcare and physical activities. Nearly 20 years later, that simple idea has become a citywide program called Free Play for Kids that serves more than 5,000 children and their families in greater Edmonton every year.In the opening episode of What's Working, Tim explains the importance of providing accessible sports programming, why collaborative partnerships with schools and community centres are essential for our youth, and what other cities can learn from the approach Edmonton has taken in leveraging many of its public facilities to serve its population.For more information on Free Play for Kids, visit ⁠www.freeplayforkids.com⁠ and email Tim at tim@freeplayforkids.com.Chapters:0:00 Introduction1:24 Welcome Tim Adams1:56 What Is Free Play for Kids?4:02 The Origin Story: From CBC Journalist to Coach6:45 From a Volunteer Club to a Staffed Program8:24 The COVID Pivot That Changed Everything9:49 Training Coaches and Volunteers11:10 What Is Social-Emotional Learning in Coaching?13:26 Why This Model Works for Families15:36 Getting Schools and Facilities on Board17:45 Solving the Transportation Barrier21:18 How the Program Is Funded23:47 Advice for Replicating This in Other Communities26:48 How to Get in Touch With Free Play for Kids