Updates

Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed evidence of the Playworks Coach program and found that the program met the criteria for a Promising Program intended to improve school attendance.  The DOJ invests in reviewing research that shows programs positively impact attendance because higher rates of kids attending school “prevents or reduce crime, delinquency, or…

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…

When you grow up playing sports with your four brothers, you learn to be tough. At least that’s the way it worked out for Alondra Almeida, a third-year Playworks AmeriCorps Coach who’s known as Coach Lahni. “It helped me not to give up, not to quit, and it also taught me a lot of patience,”…

“Today I got to hang in a world where Rock Paper Scissors solves all and Fortnite dances are the new hello,” stated Meagan Kong, professional dancer/athlete and Adidas ambassador, in an Instagram post about her experience at a Playworks event.  #adidaswomenla From indoor recess to cooperative after-school games, it was a day to start breaking down barriers and…