KaBOOM! … Kenmore has garnered more national attention for being a family friendly place to live.

One year ago, Family Circle magazine honored the city as one of the 10 best places to raise a family. This year, it’s national nonprofit KaBOOM! that has included Kenmore on its list of 118 “Playful City USA” communities in keeping kids active and healthy. Despite difficult budgetary decisions and park-and-recreation department funding sitting at its lowest levels in decades, kids are getting out from behind their computer screens and giving their bodies a workout.

One thing that caught KaBOOM!’s eye was Kenmore partnering with Bastyr University in a 10-year joint-use agreement to increase access to sports fields in the city.

While ballplayers have scored, Kenmore City Councilmembers has also been giving full attention to all the city’s parks and play fields.

“It was important for us to make sure we had opportunities for kids in the community, that’s why the council voted to fix up Log Boom Park and do the play equipment at Rhododendron Park,” said Mayor David Baker while listening to Hey Marseilles perform last Thursday at St. Edward State Park.

“And then to make sure we had plenty of activities for the older kids, we did the skateboard park and then the full basketball court at Rhododendron Park.”

As Baker watched dozens of kids run around St. Ed’s, he couldn’t help but recall his own childhood.

“I remember growing up, and at about 9 o’clock in the morning, my mother used to shove me outside and say, ‘Don’t come until 5,'” he said with a laugh. “There was always 25 to 30 kids in the neighborhood and we were outside playing. (Today) kids aren’t outside enough, kids aren’t playing enough.”

Baker and his fellow councilmembers and Kenmore residents are helping change that with KaBOOM! by their side.

According to a report from the National League of Cities, seven in 10 city officials are responding to the economic crisis by making personnel cuts, while a pre-summer National Recreation and Parks Association survey found that 55 percent of its members suffered budget cuts in 2010 and 60 percent expect more in 2011. These funding cutbacks persist despite findings from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey that only 20 percent of homes across the country have parks within a half mile.

Counteracting these issues, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of the Let’s Move campaign in 2010, which is geared toward solving the childhood obesity issue within a generation through a variety of ways, including unstructured play.

Each of the 2010 “Playful City USA” communities demonstrated creative commitments to the cause of play. “Playful City USA” celebrates and highlights these unique initiatives developed by communities across the country. A primary goal of “Playful City USA” is to encourage cities and towns to share creative ideas, concepts and programs in an effort to increase play opportunities for children.

Along with Kenmore, other examples are:

• Indianapolis, Ind., launched the “Get Fit Indy” challenge this summer designed to encourage children to be active for 60 minutes per day, while eating nutritiously.

• Orlando, Fla., increased quantity of playspaces by developing joint-use agreements with the local school district to open school recreation facilities to the public during non-school hours.

• Takoma Park, Md., created Traveling Playgroups to meet and provide residents with recreational information at different facilities throughout the city, while collecting citizen feedback on improvement needs.

“An extreme misconception exists in our country that play among children is a luxury when, in fact, it’s an absolute necessity,” said Darell Hammond, KaBOOM! CEO and co-founder. “For decades, this notion dominated our actions and we continue to see the damaging results: a monumental lack of playspaces for children and sky-rocketing childhood obesity rates. Kenmore refused to adhere to the status quo and realized all children deserve a municipal commitment to the cause of play. These 118 ‘Playful City USA’ communities serve as beacons for the rest of our nation that an investment in children is an investment in our future.”