Starting kids out right leads to active adults.

No child who wants to play is turned away in New Jersey's leading Sportstown. The Piscataway Township Recreation Department is fully funded by the municipal budget, and doesn't charge participation fees for its youth recreation program. In addition, the community has a coaching education program as well as a zero-tolerance policy for unsportsmanlike, confrontational or violent behavior. With such an outstanding foundation, it's no wonder that Piscataway's adult and seniors embrace sports programs that are bursting at the seams. Piscataway is the perfect example of laying a sound foundation so that people grow up enjoying sports and wind up staying active over a lifetime.

"We feel we have an outstanding and comprehensive sports program in our community," says Kevin Donovan, the director of the department of recreation in Piscataway. "The horror stories of youth sports violence, unsportsmanlike behavior, and child and sexual abuse have tarnished the national image of sports in general. In an effort to promote the safety and welfare of our sports programs and participants, we have embarked on an aggressive zero-tolerance policy." Piscataway recently implemented a mandatory fingerprinting program for all volunteer youth sports coaches for the purpose of conducting state and federal criminal background checks. The town has also introduced tough codes of conduct for all sport participants, parent and coaches. In addition, the recreation department is registered with the county prosecutor's office for Megan's Law notification of convicted sex offenders in the community.

Good standards aren't the only thing that makes a good sports program--high-quality facilities are also important. "Our mayor and township council have provided the funding to renovate and upgrade all 26 of our municipal parks, as well as 23 playgrounds, 13 baseball fields, 15 softball fields, four roller hockey rinks, 26 tennis courts and 21 basketball courts," says Donovan. By the end of 2004, every park, playground and recreation field and facility in Piscataway will be new or renovated. They will all meet current safety standards and guidelines as required by ASTM, NPSI, NRPA, ADA and CPSC.

Diversity is another factor in the success of Piscataway, a racially and ethnically diverse community of 52,000 people. All programs are inclusive, and represent the diversity and make-up of the community. Piscataway has a mandatory play rule for all sports programs: all players must play a minimum amount of time in each game regardless of skill level. Coaches are expected to treat all players the same, and except for Babe Ruth Baseball, the community doesn't select sport all-stars or MVPs.

Piscataway also supports diverse sports agendas with the community. To accomplish this goal, the community recognizes the value and relevance of all sports agendas. Municipal recreation, schools, private sports groups and organizations don't run programs that compete with each other or cause harm to existing sports programs. Schedules are developed so that athletes can play with various programs. The idea is that the athletes come first, so the more planning and coordination among leagues the better.

You can tell a community loves its sports when people are eager to volunteer to support it. "Our community activism and volunteerism is represented by every one of our volunteer youth sport coaches," says Donavan. "They are directly responsible for the quality and success of the sports in our township." Through this volunteerism comes pride in the community. Many players evolve into coaches, timekeepers and help as sports volunteers in other ways. Athletes are encouraged to give back to the community to continue the quality sports tradition.

Everyone gets a chance to play in Piscataway. And because of the high-quality programs and facilities, they continue to play for life.