Playworks helps kids to stay active and build valuable life skills through play
What a Better Recess Does
Conflict Resolution
Recess doesn’t have to be chaotic. At a better recess, kids acquire tools to work out disagreements and differences.
Leadership Skills
When they’re playing amongst their peers, kids have a valuable opportunity to develop a sense of fairness, confidence, and communication.
Academic Success
Kids who are engaged during recess are more likely to participate in class, which means better attendance and better grades.
Updates
Celebrating the Contributions of our AmeriCorps Coaches ›
Games for Social and Emotional Learning ›
How to Create a Playful Company Culture ›
Playworks Near You
California
Connect with the Playworks team in Northern California and Southern California.
187,548
Kids Reached in California in the last year
District of Columbia
Connect with the Playworks team in Washington, D.C.
Kids Reached in Greater Washington d.c. in the last year
Massachusetts
Connect with the Playworks team in New England.
Kids Reached in New England in the last year
New Hampshire
Connect with the Playworks team in New England.
Kids Reached in New England in the last year
New Jersey
Connect with the Playworks team in New Jersey.
Kids Reached in New Jersey in the last year
North Carolina
Connect with the Playworks team in North Carolina.
Kids Reached in North Carolina in the last year
Oregon
Connect with the Playworks team in the Pacific Northwest.
Kids served in the Pacific Northwest in the last year
Pennsylvania
Connect with the Playworks team in Pennsylvania.
Kids served in Pennsylvania in the last year
Rhode Island
Connect with the Playworks team in New England.
Kids served in New England in the last year
Washington
Connect with the Playworks team in the Pacific Northwest.
Kids Reached in the Pacific Northwest in the last year
3.5 Million
Children reached by December 2020
Playworks aims for 3.5 million children in 7,000 schools to experience safe, healthy play every day by 2020. Click on your state to explore what Playworks is doing near you.
Elementary students with strong social and emotional skills are . . .
Recess is a natural learning lab for important life skills. Learn about our impact ›
Stories
November 13, 2018
Less Time Arguing, More Time Playing ›
Junior Coach Nyyon is a ro-sham-bo rockstar! Anytime a conflict comes up, particularly during games like foursquare and switch, she is quick to step in and remind students to use ro-sham-bo to resolve the problem and…
November 13, 2018
The First Time Feeling Included Through Foursquare ›
The foursquare court is often the scene of heated recess debates, but it doesn’t have to be. As a Playworks Coach, I get to teach kids how to play together in ways that prevent conflict during…
News
March 15, 2019
Playworks Earned a 2019 Gold Seal of Transparency ›
Playworks just earned a 2019 Gold Seal by adding information to our Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar. Now our community members as well as 10+ million GuideStar users can find in-depth information about our goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress. We’re shining a spotlight on the difference we help make in the world. Plus, we’ve provided fresh…
March 4, 2019
Celebrating the Contributions of our AmeriCorps Coaches ›
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Join us in a week-long celebration of all the contributions AmeriCorps members make in our communities. This school year, we have 242 Playworks AmeriCorps coaches serving in our schools. Playworks coaches are caring, consistent adults, working to make playgrounds safer and to help create positive school environments…
FOX31
February 22, 2019
After being bullied, 4th-grader works to make recess more inclusive ›
Teachers report spending about two hours a day resolving conflicts that start at recess. For some students, recess can be the worst part of their day. At Montview Elementary in Aurora, Colorado, one will find a different kind of recess. It’s common to find older kids helping the younger ones. The older kids even lead…
LinkedIn Talent Blog
January 31, 2019
How to Create a Playful Company Culture ›
When Jill Vialet founded the nonprofit Playworks, her goal was to bring out the best in every child through the power of play, helping kids build important social and emotional skills. And, she later discovered this is exactly what adults need too.
Events
May 09, 2019 @ 6:00 PM
Get in the Game 2019 ›
Join us for our annual gala ‘Get In The Game’ Please join us as we celebrate thousands of students having access to safe and healthy play everyday. We will combine…
