Active Design Playbook for Early Childhood

The Active Design Playbook offers project ideas to promote the physical and developmental benefits of gardening, outdoor play and indoor play. In New York City, less than half of three to five year olds get the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Given that children spend on average more than 30 hours per week in preschool or early child care, these settings serve as key intervention points to help children develop healthy behaviors early in life. The Active Design Playbook for Early Childhood Settings was developed by the Health Department with valuable input and contributions from Brooklyn Forest School, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Columbia University’s Child Health Initiative for Learning and Development (CHILD), and Marpillero Pollak Architects.