Impact
Playworks brings out the best in every kid, through play.
In partnership with teachers, principals, and parents, we build a culture of play that enables kids to feel a real sense of belonging and have the opportunity to contribute on the playground, in the classroom, and into their communities. A randomized control trial by Stanford University and Mathematica Policy Research found that compared to students at similar schools, Playworks students were more physically active and teachers reported that students had greater feelings of school safety and less bullying behavior.
Bring Playworks to Your School
Get in touch to find support for your school, organization, or community.
RAND Review: Playworks in Top ESSA Tier for Evidence of Impact
Playworks Coach is a Tier I social-emotional learning intervention for elementary schools, meeting rigorous evaluation requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Read the new report by RAND Corporation and The Wallace Foundation.
Reports & Research
The impact of a multi-component physical activity programme in low-income elementary schools
Health Education Journal, April 2017
The impact of a recess-based leadership program on urban elementary school students
Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, April 2017
Building A Culture of Health Through Safe and Healthy Elementary School Recess
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, February 2016
Strategies for Recess in Schools
US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Shape America, January, 2017
The Crucial Role of Recess in Schools
Pediatrics, January 2013
School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior
American Academy of Pediatrics, February 2009
We’ve gone from kind of dreading teaching the period right after recess to it being a very productive academic time.
Audra Philippon
Principal
Discover our Impact
May 10, 2017
How Canyons School District Improved Outcomes District-Wide With Playworks ›
When Utah introduced new state PE standards in 2015, Canyons knew they needed to act quickly. At the same time, they didn’t want to lose sight of their highest-priority strategies for their 29 schools. “We were really addressing four things at once,” recalls Allan Whitmore, Canyons’ evidence based learning specialist. “In addition to common teacher…
February 3, 2016
Not-So-Junior Coach Matthew ›
When Playworks—then Sports4Kids—coach Max Langaard arrived at Manzanita school, Matthew Bailey was a shy third-grader. At home, he’d try to stay out of everyone’s way, and at school, he rarely spoke up during class. But Coach Max saw him differently. He saw leadership potential in Matthew and encouraged him to sign-up to be a junior coach. Under Coach Max’s…
April 29, 2016
Becoming Loudy ›
When Julia Masur transferred to Adelante Spanish Immersion School in Redwood City halfway through second grade, most of the kids had been together since kindergarten. “I didn’t have a ton of friends,” says Julia, “and it was hard adjusting. I wasn’t a super social kid—I was kind of a nerd—and it was a challenge for…
Annual Survey
Teachers, principals, and other school staff at Playworks schools complete an annual survey, which gives Playworks both quantitative and qualitative data about the changes in student behavior and school environment that have occurred as a result of Playworks programming. Playworks analyzes survey results at the school, regional and national levels. As a result of the feedback we receive, Playworks updates and improves our services to better fit the needs of every school.
94%
of administrators, teachers and support staff agree that Playworks helps improve overall school climate
Bring Playworks to Your School
Find support for schools, districts, and youth organizations. Get in touch to learn more.