Pottstown Play Streets is a seasonal, award-winning program that closes neighborhood blocks to traffic and fills them with free play equipment, activities, music, and partner led outreach. Since its launch in 2022, Pottstown Play Streets has held 18 events and welcomed approximately 1,567 participants across the Borough, creating safe and engaging places for children to play and families to connect right outside their doors.
The program is led by the Borough of Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department and convened by the Pottstown Regional Community Foundation. It is delivered through a coalition of nonprofits, schools, health providers, community groups, and local businesses that share a commitment to health equity and neighborhood vitality.
Many children in Pottstown do not live near a park or do not feel comfortable using the spaces that exist. Transportation, cost, and safety concerns can all be barriers to regular outdoor activity. Play Streets brings recreation to the neighborhood, turning residential blocks into car free play zones that support movement, joy, and social connection.
By reclaiming streets for play, the program builds neighborhood pride and creates space for porch conversations, new friendships, and informal support networks. Residents often describe Play Streets as a time when they feel safer and more connected to their neighbors.
Each event features partner hosted tables and curbside services such as health screenings, nutrition education, free books, and information about housing, food assistance, mental health, and youth opportunities. Families often discover programs they did not know about before attending Play Streets.
Play Streets events are free and open to everyone. Outreach focuses on neighborhoods with limited access to parks or safe play areas and includes multilingual promotion and on-site language support. Activities are designed to be inclusive for participants of different ages and abilities.
On designated summer evenings, selected blocks are closed to vehicles for two hours and transformed into temporary play zones. In partnership with the Borough of Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department, organizers:
Play Streets events feature partner booths hosted by organizations such as:
The Pottstown Play Streets Coalition, convened by the Pottstown Regional Community Foundation, includes schools, youth organizations, healthcare providers, social service agencies, and local businesses. Together, coalition members plan and deliver each event with a shared goal: creating safe, fun, and welcoming spaces where all residents can move, connect, and thrive.
These partners provide services that can include health checks, nutrition education, information on food and housing supports, free books and learning activities, and registration for youth programs. Volunteers help with translation to ensure multilingual households feel welcome.
Community engagement and feedback
Residents are involved in planning and evaluating each season. Feedback is gathered through surveys and informal conversations at events, and shared at coalition meetings. Partners meet regularly to refine logistics, coordinate outreach, and introduce new activities based on what families say they want most.
Play Streets has a long-standing history as a public health strategy to improve youth access to safe outdoor play. The first documented Play Streets in the United States took place in Harlem, New York City, in 1914, where roadways were closed to traffic to create protected space for children to be active and engaged.
Over a century later, Play Streets continues to be used across the country to address rising concerns about physical inactivity and lack of safe play areas. Despite strong evidence that regular physical activity improves bone health, reduces anxiety, and boosts self-esteem, nearly 75% of U.S. adolescents do not meet national physical activity guidelines. In many urban communities, barriers such as traffic, violence, and lack of safe green spaces make outdoor play difficult or unsafe for families.
Locally, these challenges are especially evident. According to the 2018 Tri-County Area Community Health Needs Assessment, conducted by the Foundation:
These disparities highlight the urgent need for accessible, inclusive, and welcoming public spaces. Pottstown Play Streets was developed as a direct response, bringing safe, active, and joyful play environments into the heart of neighborhoods where they are needed most.
Since its launch in 2022, Pottstown Play Streets has:
Parents report feeling more comfortable letting their children play outside during Play Streets and describe the events as a safe and joyful space on their own block. Children often express excitement about having a fun, car free street where they can ride bikes, chalk the pavement, and play games with friends.
Independent evaluation by a researcher from the University of Delaware has found that Pottstown Play Streets:
In a recent season with no weather cancellations, total attendance increased by more than fifty percent compared to the prior year, underscoring both community enthusiasm and the value of a full event schedule.
Play Streets events are usually held on Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. during the summer months. Locations rotate across parks and neighborhood streets so that multiple areas of the Borough can benefit.
Recent locations have included:
Pottstown Play Streets is powered by neighbors, partners, and purpose. There are many ways to support the program:
Community groups, faith communities, and neighbors can:
PRCF is building a dedicated fund to sustain Pottstown Play Streets for years to come. Contributions of any size are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and directly support program costs.
Businesses, foundations, and civic groups can sponsor individual events or an entire season. Sponsorships help cover:
Sponsors receive recognition through signage, social media, press releases, and event materials.
