As the Executive Director of 2-4-1 CARE, I’m thrilled to share exciting milestones with you. Despite the uncertainties that come with the evolving nonprofit landscape, we continue to find new ways to expand our impact and bring the power of play to more children.
Our Partnership with Fight For Children in Washington, DC:
This winter, we launched an exciting pilot partnership at Garfield Elementary School in Ward 8, collaborating with Fight For Children’s EATS (Early Access to Sports) initiative. Through this partnership, we are proud to bring our 2-4-1 TOP Self™ Sports program to Washington, DC, helping to build physical literacy and social-emotional skills where they are needed most. Learn more in our joint press release here.
Returning to Our Roots at Miss Porter’s School:
We are also delighted to offer 2-4-1 for Girls at Miss Porter’s School this summer. When we first launched 2-4-1 back in 2008, it was as a one-week camp for girls. Now, with over 50 programs this year alone and nearly 50,000 children served worldwide over the past 15 years, this feels like a full-circle moment. We could not be more excited about this partnership and the chance to create new opportunities for girls to thrive through play.
While we celebrate these successes, we are also facing new challenges. This time last year, we were in the midst of a successful grant season, setting the stage to serve nearly 1,500 children and provide nearly 150 individuals with meaningful summer employment—many of whom rely on this opportunity for guaranteed work. However, with the current fiscal landscape at the federal level, we cannot take this kind of funding for granted this year.
When funding is cut, it doesn’t just impact our ability to offer programming—it affects the very real and pressing needs of the children we serve. Many of the kids who participate in our grant-funded programs rely on us not only for play and learning but also for their meals. For some, the meal they receive during our programs might be the only nutritious meal they get that day. This reality weighs heavily on us, and it fuels our urgency to find new ways to sustain and grow our impact.
In response, you’ll notice at the bottom of this newsletter that we’ve expanded our offerings to include more traditional camps. These programs are within our control and allow us to continue fulfilling our mission: To provide all children the opportunity to grow physically and emotionally through the play-filled power of sport.
As we move forward, we do so with conviction, knowing that every day presents a new opportunity to do good work, to put play back into sports, and to empower children through the transformative power of sport.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Your support, engagement, and belief in our mission make it all possible.
About Steve Boyle
Steve Boyle is a connector, collaborator, and tireless advocate for making youth sports more playful, inclusive, and developmentally sound. As Executive Director of 2-4-1 CARE, Inc. and Co-Founder of 2-4-1 Sports, Steve has helped lead a growing movement to reshape the youth sports experience—one that puts the joy of play and the whole child at the center. Grounded in his background as a school counselor and coach, Steve co-created the award-winning TOP Self™ platform, which uses sport as a vehicle for social-emotional learning. Under his collaborative leadership, 2-4-1 has grown from a single program in West Hartford, Connecticut to a global nonprofit impacting communities across North America and Africa. Steve’s influence extends beyond his own organization. He served as Advisory Board Chair for the National Association of Physical Literacy and as Global Lead for Athletics and Physical Literacy at Whittle School & Studios, shaping programming in Washington, D.C. and Shenzhen. Whether working with local partners or global networks, Steve brings humility, heart, and a belief in the power of teamwork to everything he does.