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March 2010

Bring Play To Your City

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Recent News

The Forbes Impact 30
Forbes Magazine
Hard Times for Recess
New York Times

How to Save the Culture of Childhood

Jill Vialet
March 29, 2010

It has been extraordinarily exciting to see the conversation that has arisen around play the past few weeks. We've been hearing from many people about the role of a recess coach on the playground, which is why we were deeply gratified to read Playtime Is Over, a thoughtful, insightful op-ed in The New York Times by David Elkind. Dr.

Structured or Unstructured Play? I'll take Neither!

Jill Vialet, Founder and President, Playworks
March 16, 2010

The New York Times article, “Forget Goofing Around: Recess Has a New Boss” has inspired a lot of comment and generated a lot of attention for Playworks. The article raised a provocative question: what's better, structured or unstructured play? To me, the answer is easy: neither. You see, characterizing what we do and what we believe is needed in schools across America as either structured or unstructured is a false choice.

Play Deserts: What Would YOU Measure?

Jill Vialet, President and Founder, Playworks
March 5, 2010

There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of months about the idea of “food deserts,” areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious foods, but only recently have the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) begun talking about the idea of “play deserts,” mapping areas where there is limited access to opportunities for physical activity.
 
If the HHS and the CDC are going to undertake an analysis of play deserts and their public health consequences, it is essential that they look not just at