Youth Programs Key to Pleasanton's Quality of Life

The City of Pleasanton has been nationally lauded for the quality of life it offers residents. Many factors contribute to that quality, including the community's natural beauty, excellent climate, award-winning education system, strong economy, and its status as one of California's safest cities. The broad and varied youth programming provided by the City of Pleasanton and its school district is also an important contributor to the city's overall quality of life, and one of the wonderful benefits for families living at Hacienda.

While that may seem surprising, youth programs for children from preschoolers to teenagers can have a significant impact on the lives of the children who participate, according to research. Involvement in high-quality programs outside of school hours can provide age-appropriate fun as well as a pathway over the years to successful adulthood. The existence of quality youth programs is an important resource for local families, given that nearly 30% of the population of Pleasanton is under 19 years of age.

"The services provided by park and recreation departments are more than fun and games, or gym and swim programs," notes a report from the National Recreation and Park Association called The Rationale for Recreation Services for Youth: An Evidenced Based Approach. "These programs-which are typically organized, structured, and adult-supervised or led-provide excellent opportunities for adolescents to develop and grow to become fully functioning adults. Participation in these activities is associated with autonomy and identity development, positive social relationships, and learning conflict resolution, academic success, mental health, and civic engagement."

Amazing Array of Youth Programs

Pleasanton's Library and Recreation Department provides "an amazing array of programs to children and families," according to Nicole Thomas, Recreation Supervisor - Preschool, Youth and Teens in the City of Pleasanton Library and Recreation Department. Thomas notes that a variety of programs are available not just in the summer months but all around the year. The city offers limited financial assistance to qualified Pleasanton residents who meet the income requirements and also invites people with and without disabilities to enjoy its sites, facilities, and programs.

"We are really intentional about the kind of programs and services that we provide, and we do our best to provide top quality programs that meet the needs of youth," says Thomas. Some of the programs and activities are recreational in nature; some provide leadership opportunities. "We are really trying to meet the needs of the whole child, and that goes all the way from preschool to our teen programs. Our wide variety of programs touch different kids in different ways. Not all kids like sports. So it's nice that we can offer this wide variety of programs that meet the needs of all sorts of different children."

This spring, for example, the City of Pleasanton's many programs and activities have included art programs for children between four and six; family classes in soccer, Karate, and Kendo; and youth ceramics for children between the ages of five and 12. The City of Pleasanton Library, which is open seven days per week, has offered a Teen Hangout on school days between 3pm and 6pm on school days, with activities such as games, crafts, and movies that begin at 3:45pm.

Programs Are Built on City's Youth Master Plan

The City of Pleasanton is determined to offer a wide variety of programs to support the needs of different types of children and different types of families because city officials have made the needs of families a priority. The importance of families and children is visible throughout the City of Pleasanton's Youth Master Plan, which was created in 2001 and updated in 2010.

"The Youth Master Plan was created to serve as the guiding document for the Pleasanton preschool through youth/teen programs," says Thomas. "It was important for the city to really understand what the needs of youth and families were in our community. The plan outlines six goals and 49 strategies as the best way to meet those needs. So when we are programming within the city programs, we are always looking at that document to ensure that the programs we are planning and the services we are providing are meeting some of the needs outlined in that plan."

The values of integrity, involvement, education, safety, diversity, and nurturing environments are an important component of the Youth Master Plan. "We provide caring, supportive, and age-appropriate spaces and places for children, youth, and families to play, learn ,and grow," the plan notes in regard to the value of nurturing environments. The results of putting that value into practice can be seen in the recently remodeled locker rooms at the Dolores Bengtston Aquatic Center. They can also be seen in the new Splashball program and Gold Level Learn-to-Swim lessons that will be hosted at the Aquatic Center this summer as part of the city's summer activities programs. Splashball is designed to introduce the sport of water polo to children ages six through ten in a fun and recreational format. Summer swim lessons begin on June 10, 2019. Summer day camps are a part of the programs, along with a summer reading game at the Pleasanton Library as well as a host of other programs and classes for children of all ages, families, and adults.

This year the City of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Unified School District will host the Youth in Government Day on March 27, 2019. The annual event encourages students to get involved in local government by exposing them to the work done in different types of positions at the local government level by allowing the students to "shadow" city employees. This unique program provides a great opportunity for our high school students, according to Thomas. A variety of opportunities to learn leadership are provided by the City of Pleasanton, Thomas says.

The City of Pleasanton Summer Leader in Training program provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and on the job training by working closely with City of Pleasanton staff. To address goals in the Youth Master Plan, the program was expanded to provide opportunities for students to volunteer at the Library, Drama and Arts programs, and summer camps, according to Thomas. After they become old enough to be hired, some teens find job opportunities with the city as a result of the training they have received in this program. The Pleasanton Police Department offers another leadership opportunity through its an Explorer program for young adults. Teens interested in learning about law enforcement through volunteer work get training on many law enforcement topics. The training often includes hands-on experiences such as ride-a-longs, crime scene investigation, and physical training.

Following the guidance of the Pleasanton Youth Master Plan has also resulted in Ptown Life, a website that was created to provide a place for youth and families to find information about the community. The website includes organizations and businesses serving youth, a calendar of events, recreation and entertainment options, and more. During this academic year, 15 high school students are part of the web team that work on the website as well as the weekly Ptown Life newsletter about community news and events.

For more information about City of Pleasanton children and family programs and activities, please visit www.pleasantonfun.com. At that link the Summer 2019 Activities Guide for the City of Pleasanton can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF file. Beginning on April 3, 2019, residents can also register for summer classes and activities at that link or register by mail or in person at one of Pleasanton's recreational facilities.

For more information about the City of Pleasanton Youth Master Plan, please visit www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=24610.

For more information about Ptown Life, please visit www.ptownlife.org.

For information about the City of Pleasanton and accessibility, please contact inclusionservices@cityofpleasantonca.gov.

For more information about the Pleasanton Police Department Explorer program, please visit www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/gov/depts/police/community/explorer.asp.

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