Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Expands Impact with Playworks Pro

  1. Updates

With the support of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, we are training 14 new Pro partners to bring safe, healthy play to Michigan schools. 

Before the holiday, we partnered with 15 amazing schools in 11 school districts to deliver our Playworks Pro services. These services were made possible thanks to the generosity of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, which funded the programs in full.

We spent time surprising each principal with the news that their school was selected to participate. We received high-fives, screams of excitement, smiles, and a ton of gratitude. Thanks to the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, over 6,500 additional students in primarily low-income schools will receive safe and healthy play every day. 

Currently, we are moving forward in the new year with our Recess Implementation training for teachers and staff who will implement safe and healthy play across 14 schools. These schools include: 

  • Eisenhower Elementary, Fraser Public Schools;
  • Ardmore Elementary, Lakeview Public Schools;
  • Miami Elementary & Fox Elementary, Chippewa Valley Schools;
  • Vandenberg Elementary, South Redford School District;
  • Wilkerson Elementary, Warren Consolidated Schools;
  • Jefferson Elementary & Washington Elementary, Wyandotte Public Schools;
  • McDonald Elementary, Dearborn Public Schools;
  • Poupard Elementary, Grosse Pointe Public Schools;
  • McKinley Elementary, Van Dyke Public Schools;
  • Westview Elementary & Mound Park Elementary, Fitzgerald Public Schools; 
  • Green Elementary, L'Anse Creuse Public Schools.

We will be hosting another PlayShop event on March 14, 2017 to find an additional 15 or so schools to be trained for the 2017 – 2018 school year. To learn more, please contact Development Manager Maria Carr at maria.carr@playworks.org.

More Updates


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three people with Playworks shirts
three people with Playworks shirts

July 28, 2022

A year of social and emotional learning ›

“You can’t do SEL, trauma, or equity work without each other,” Jennette Claassen, Head of Evaluation, Playworks. As Playworks continued to progress on our equity journey, we explored a critical question: what are the intersections between play, social and emotional learning, physical activity, and trauma? A working group focused on this question decided, among other…

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Playworks Founder Jill Vialet Publishes ‘Why Play Works’ ›

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