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Music & Movement Series at Pogo Park this Fall

September 10, 2018

Parents!
Pogo Park and the West County First 5 Center invite you and your children ages 0-5 to participate in the 2018 Music & Movement series, FREE this fall at Pogo Park. Join us for storytime, songs, wiggling, dancing, and tons of fun!

When?
Every Wednesday, September 19 – October 24
11am–12pm

Where?
Pogo Park #1 – Elm Playlot
720 Elm Avenue
Richmond, CA 94801

This program is FREE for all parents and their children ages 0-5.
For more information, call West County First 5 Center at (510) 232-5650.

To read the full flyer in English, click here.
Para leer los detalles en español, haga clic aquí.

Exploratory Play at Pogo Park this Summer

July 3, 2018

West County First 5 Center offers a 6-week Exploratory Play program at Elm Playlot this summer. Children ages 0-5 and their parents or guardians are invited to participate together in this program on Wednesdays 11am – 12pm, from July 18 to August 15. Adult participation is required.

-Storytime
-Playtime
-Explore & Discover

This program is FREE!
For more information, call West County First 5 Center at (510) 232-5650.

For Park Activists, Pogo Park is a Model of an Urban Park Serving a Diverse Community.

January 31, 2018

Luciano del Rio, 30, is a community activist who grew up in Richmond, which has had a long history of violent crime. Prior to what Elm Playlot has become today, the area used to be one that parents wouldn’t feel comfortable sending their kids to go play in, he said.

Today, local residents recognize it as a bubble of safety, said Toody Maher, executive director and founder of Pogo Park, a non-profit that maintains Elm Playlot and spearheaded its renovation.

“Everyone knows if you’re going do bad things, do not do it in or around the parks,” she said.

The park has become an important part of the neighborhood and has provided a space for area residents to meet and socialize with one another, Maher said. It also hosts a variety of programming including zumba classes, a chess club, a mobile petting zoo, and free vision screenings for children.

“Now families want to move in the area because there’s a park that they can come in and is within their vicinity,” del Rio said. [continue reading below]

Latino Activists Advocate for Urban Parks – NBC News