About Playworks

The Playworks Mission: To improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. 

Playworks is a national nonprofit organization that supports learning by providing safe, healthy and inclusive play and physical activity to low-income schools at recess and throughout the entire school day. We currently operate our direct service program in more than 300 schools in 23 US cities, and serve more than 130,000 elementary school students every day.

Playworks Training also provides training and technical support for schools and youth organizations that wish to train their own adults to manage a healthy and inclusive playground.

Research shows that play is essential to child development and an invaluable tool for improving school climate. And quality recess and playtime also helps children return to the classroom more focused and ready to learn. 

Playworks is the only nonprofit organization in the country to send trained, full-time program coordinators, called "coaches" to low-income, urban schools, where they transform recess and play into a positive experience that helps kids and teachers get the most out of every learning opportunity throughout the school day. The coaches become part of the school community, working full-time to provide organized play and physical activity through the five components of the Playworks program. They organize games and activities during recess, provide individual class game times and run a leadership development program during school hours. They also run Playworks tutoring and physical activity programs and developmental sports leagues during after school hours.

Every year Playworks surveys principals, teachers, and staff at its partner schools to learn more about the impact of our work. In the 2010-11 school year, we surveyed 2,591 educators. Here's what the surveys revealed:

• 98% reported an increase in the number of students that are physically active during recess
• 86% reported a decrease in incidents of bullying
• 87% reported a decrease in disciplinary referrals
• 88% reported a decrease in the number of conflicts originating on the playground and spilling over to class
• 85% reported a reduction in the amount of time transitioning from recess to classroom instruction.
• 89% reported an increase in students’ abilities to focus on class activities.

In addition, these educators reported reclaiming an average of eight minutes per day, or more than 24 hours of class time annually, of teaching time formerly lost to resolving conflicts from the playground.

 In working with hundreds of low-income schools throughout the country, however, Playworks has found recess to be an untapped opportunity to increase physical activity among students. Since nearly every school in America allows some recess time each day, this time can be an unsurpassed chance to not only get kids active, but also to teach a number of valuable life lessons such as cooperation, conflict resolution and teamwork.

Playworks in your community
Playworks also offers comprehensive training and technical support to schools, districts and communities that wish to bring safe, inclusive play to children. Delivered by training and technical service professionals who play for a living, Playworks Training transports our on-site experience into active, hands-on professional development for adults who wish to bring the principles, implementation and experience of safe, healthy and positive play to the children they serve.