This study found that Playworks led to a fundamental positive shift in students’ experiences at school which is linked to favorable student outcomes, from attendance to achievement. Significant changes happened in the within one school year.
In highlighting the crucial importance of a high-functioning recess, the study comments:
“The free play and physical activity associated with recess are key inputs to both learning and a well-behaved classroom. Play itself is so critical for children’s healthy development that it has been recognized by the United Nations as a right of every child and by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an essential part of children’s development.”