KNOW Programs

K.N.O.W. - Kids Need Opportunities at Warner Program

The K.N.O.W. (Kids Need Opportunities at Warner) Program at Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC) uses a Sports-Based Youth Development (SBYD) model grounded in positive youth development principles to provide comprehensive, consistent, and high-quality programming for underserved youth on Madison's northside. Rather than focusing on the challenges or deficits youth may face, K.N.O.W. recognizes and builds upon their strengths, talents, interests, and potential. Sports serve as an initial “hook" to engage young people, while athletic skill development creates a pathway to the program's larger goal of building life skills, confidence, leadership, healthy relationships, and positive decision-making. 

The K.N.O.W. program goal is to serve more than 200 youth each week, primarily ages 11–18, while also offering limited programming for youth under 11 and young adults over 18. With programming available six days per week, nearly twice the amount offered by many traditional out-of-school programs, K.N.O.W. provides youth with consistent opportunities to learn, grow, connect, and thrive. The program offers specialized youth development experiences, family engagement, school-based programming, employment-focused training, and opportunities that help young people build skills and explore economic pathways. 

Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) partnerships extend the program's reach and create familiarity with K.N.O.W. program services among students who may not otherwise participate in facility-based programming. K.N.O.W. serves youth from the Brentwood, Packers, Northport, Vera Court, Kennedy Heights, Park Crest, Ridgecrest, and Darbo-Worthington neighborhoods, communities where access to a gym facility and free enrichment opportunities can be limited. According to WPCRC staff, approximately 90% of participants are youth of color, 95% live in subsidized housing, nearly 100% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and approximately 90% come from one-parent, female-led households. 

For many participants, K.N.O.W. provides more than recreation, it is a place where young people can feel safe, seen, supported, and connected to positive adults and opportunities. Through its partnership with the Madison Parks Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the City of Madison Parks Division, K.N.O.W. combines community-based youth development with the Foundation's longstanding commitment to equity, inclusion, park programming, and community development. Ultimately, K.N.O.W. works to transform lives, strengthen families, build community connections, and create meaningful opportunities for Madison's underserved youth.