Press Releases

Bring Play To Your City

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Recent News

Forbes Magazine
New York Times

 To stay updated on the latest news from Playworks, you can also sign up for media alerts. Please note that Sports4Kids has changed its name to Playworks. Press releases prior to June 2009 will list the organization as Sports4Kids.

January 26, 2012

Boston, MA - New Balance Foundation announces a national partnership with Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that supports learning and a positive school climate by providing healthy, inclusive play and physical activity, to expand the power of play to more than 130,000 students in 23 cities across the country. New Balance Foundation’s $1.2 million investment over two years will help drive advocacy, outreach, engagement and other initiatives that directly work to build the movement for play.

January 20, 2012

Fundraising veteran Armando Zumaya has joined the staff of Playworks as chief development officer for the national nonprofit.

Zumaya returns to the Bay Area from the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., where he was chief development officer since 2010. Prior to that he was with the Children’s Defense Fund and American Cancer Society and is well-known for his work in teaching prospecting, solicitation, cold calling, major gifts techniques and remote constituency fundraising.

January 9, 2012

Portland, OR -- 

August 26, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO — New research published in the August issue of the Journal of School Health shows a steady and significant decline in the emotional health of California’s low-income elementary school students.

August 18, 2011

(Oakland, CA) --   Elizabeth Cushing has been named president and chief operating officer of Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that brings play and physical activity to schools and youth organizations around the country. Cushing previously served as chief strategy officer of the organization.  In her new position, she will oversee all development, program, training and evaluation initiatives for Playworks.

April 6, 2011

 Oakland, CA April 6, 2011 - New Balance President and CEO Rob DeMartini has been named the country’s Most Playful CEO in a nationwide search for inventive leaders who incorporate play and innovation into the work environment to encourage collaboration and teamwork. The award is sponsored by Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that supports learning and a positive school climate by providing healthy, inclusive play and physical activity.

April 27, 2010

        Oakland, CA -- Portland Trail Blazers President Larry Miller has been named the country’s Most Playful CEO in a nationwide search for inventive leaders who incorporate play and innovation into the work environment to encourage collaboration and teamwork. The award is sponsored by Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that supports learning and a positive school climate by providing healthy, inclusive play and physical activity.

February 4, 2010

WASHINGTON — When most people talk about how to improve education, they tend to focus only on what happens in the classroom.

July 13, 2009

Oakland, California – After 13 years of transforming low-income schools across America with safe, healthy play, Sports4Kids is changing its name to Playworks and ramping up the services it offers to dramatically change school climate. The move is expected to help the organization achieve its goal of providing safe and healthy play to a million kids a day by 2012.

April 7, 2009

San Francisco to Transform into Nation’s Hub on Play
Unprecedented gathering of leaders, athletes and advocates will
share ideas and success stories to bring healthy play to kids