celestesoto

Playworks Southern California is pleased to present this impact report highlighting our programs and services during the 2018-19 school year! For more information, please contact Celeste Soto at celeste.soto@playworks.org. For partnership inquiries, please contact Michelle Serrano at michelle.serrano@playworks.org. Click images or download a printable version of Playworks Southern California’s Impact Report 2018-2019.

Playworks currently brings a collaborative playtime to more than 19 different school districts across Southern California and 91 elementary schools. At each of these schools, children gain the benefits of a healthy play environment where every child can join in.

We are honored to partner with LA84 Foundation so more kids can play in developmental basketball and soccer sports leagues, develop skills, have a positive team experience, and learn good sporting behavior. Read their official press release.

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…

Emily Barbee, Assistant Principal at 52nd Street Elementary School, LAUSD says,  “A 3rd grade girl was often leaving the classroom, getting into fights with peers. Because of some of the things that were going on in her life, she had a really hard time just getting through the day. It might be a fight with…

Skai Thompson, “Coach Hoops” at 52nd Street Elementary School, LAUSD says, “I have a 3rd grader in a special learning class. He was always just really angry and when his buttons were pushed and he was triggered, he was a tornado through the playground—benches flipped over, trash cans kicked over. There wasn’t too much emotional…

As a Playworks’ Junior Coach, Josiah Pedroza is practically a pro by now. He’s in fifth grade, and this is his third year as a Junior Coach where he helps out at recess and serves as a leader to younger kids at John Muir Fundamental Elementary in Santa Ana. “You’re older than them, and they…

It’s not every day that a Playworks #AmeriCorps Coach is honored by the Los Angeles Lakers, complete with a basketball clinic hosted by legendary forward A.C. Green. Then again, being treated to a center court awards ceremony at a Lakers game isn’t something a Playworks Coach experiences every day, either. But it’s her everyday actions…

Playworks is helping students develop social, emotional, and physical skills to support academic focus and participation. What looks like play is transforming Alhambra USD elementary school campuses. At Northrup, Playworks Coach Joy Lydia Gomez is on hand during the school day, especially during the lunch and recess block, to teach students to stay active, get…