The Police Athletic League’s rich history in our city began when Police Commissioner Arthur Woods and Captain John Sweeney gave birth to the concept of cops helping kids helping communities. It was their pioneering efforts that launched a youth service model that would spread throughout our great city and country. The notion that members of the law enforcement community would initiate prevention services to later avoid harsher intervention measures is what makes PAL the most logical and unique youth program in the country.
Since 1914 PAL has been serving New York City’s youth with safe, structured programming designed to engage boys and girls in positive activities that improve their quality of life, present developmental opportunities, and offer the prospect of a brighter future. What started out as the closing of streets by the New York City Police Department to enable the city’s unsupervised youth to play became a city-wide Cops & Kids movement and later national model that brought communities and police together in ways that prevail to this day.
PAL is New York City’s largest independent youth development not-for-profit organization that operates head start/day care, after-school, evening teen, summer day camp, youth employment, truancy prevention, juvenile justice and re-entry, city-wide sports, play streets and part-time centers, food service, and adventure learning programs for pre-school kids, children and adolescents ages 3 to 19. In its 100th year of service, PAL is continuing its evolution and remaining a vibrant and vital NYC institution.
The Police Athletic League is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Program.
Auxiliary Aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
TDD/TTY: 1 (800) 662-1220
The Police Athletic League's Financial information is available at guidestar.org.