Making Playgrounds Safe in Hyde Park with LinkStL

Support African American, Women-Owned Child Care Centers for Low-Income Families! Children at Kare A Lot Child Development Center and Queens & Kings Learning Center can have their     playgrounds transformed – right now – into safe, active outdoor spaces with your financial contribution. The playgrounds pictured here from Kare A Lot and Queens & Kings Centers in the Hyde Park neighborhood are proudly owned and operated by African American women. They provide care to over 50 children, 20 of whom are infants, and they offer flexible services to low-income mothers, fathers and families who work weekdays, evenings, overtime and weekends – often on unpredictable schedules.  Your contribution (of any amount but we hope you will stretch) will bolster efforts to ensure that these children stay safe and healthy while parents are working.  

LinkStL – a community-based non-profit in Hyde Park partnering with the United Way of St. Louis to empower youth -- will oversee the funding of this vitalization effort.  LinkStL has a mission to build a stronger community by involving high capacity groups that invest and work with neighborhood residents and leaders.  As a partner of the Child Care entrepreneurs Partnership, LinkStL supports and encourages African American child care entrepreneurship in the neighborhood through its collaboration with child care professionals.

Located North of Delmar, these Centers are the only two state-licensed child care centers in the Hyde Park neighborhood, one of the North St. Louis’ poorest communities.  Nearly half of the neighborhood children under age 5 live in poverty and about one in four Hyde Park youth between 16 and 24 are neither in school nor working.  Despite the challenges of the neighborhood’s 42% poverty rate, Hyde Park residents remain strong and resourceful.   

First Priority – Playgrounds:  The Center directors have prioritized the need to make major safety improvements to their playgrounds in accordance with state licensing requirements.   Did you know that playgrounds are important for children to develop social skills and fine and gross muscle growth? That obesity is lowered when children are active?  Proper impact-absorbing resilient materials and suitable, age appropriate equipment will go a long way to encourage child physical experimentation and prevent injuries.

Please help by supporting these deserving neighborhood anchors. Your contribution assists Centers to continue serving families striving for self-reliance and gives children greater opportunities for safe play in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Questions can be answered by contacting me, Kimyatta Smith, Director, LinkStL, Inc. - click on the Contact button below.  Thank you!