About Sport4All
Sport4All is a nonprofit, Federal tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to create communities in which every child has the opportunity to play sports in an environment that is developmentally appropriate and fun for all.
For decades both the popular press and pediatric sport scientists have been calling for dramatic changes in the youth sport opportunities offered to children. Existing programs have been too competitive and too stressful because they are designed according to how high school, college, and professional athletes play sports. Experts have pleaded for programs that are child-centered, developmentally appropriate, and most of all fun; and to eliminate programs that implicitly and explicitly categorize young children and teams into winners and losers. Guidelines published by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE); the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC); and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that developmentally appropriate youth sport programs be developed.
Since 1990 Bowie, Maryland-based Sport4All has evolved into a program that is entirely child-centered and applies research being conducted in the areas of play, child development, and youth sport. Sport4All programs combine age-appropriate, non-competitive, play-based, family-oriented activities that are fun and enhance the child's overall well-being.