This year was the first time since the pandemic that recess started to look like recess again – where everyone could play together, in one space, no exceptions.
The presence of Playworks to guide this transition back to “normal” play was vital in helping kids feel safe and included in their school environment. We are thrilled to share with your stories of impact from this year, along with our most recent survey results and photos.
Download our full 2022-23 Year End Report and read more about our year here.
Impact snapshot:
- 66,400 kids experiencing safe & healthy play in school.
- 176 partner schools across New England.
- 254 youth leaders in our Junior Coach program.
- 734 school staff members trained by Playworks professionals.
Highlights from 2022-23:
- Launching an innovative partnership with the Red Sox. This year, we kicked off a two week curriculum with the Red Sox Foundation teaching students in all of our partner schools how to play baseball. In addition to learning new games, two schools also won Play Ball Field Day events and got special visits from Red Sox mascots, Wally and Tessie.
- Celebrating our 4th and 5th grade Junior Coaches. On Saturday, June 3, 2023 over 85 Junior Coaches and their families gathered at the Lilla G. Frederick School to celebrate a year of hard work and leadership from 4th and 5th grade student leaders at our 2nd annual Junior Coach Graduation!
- Bringing back two Playworks’ signature events, the Rock Paper Scissors Tournament and Corporate Kickball. After years of not being able to hold in person events, we were thrilled to bring back two of our favorite events this spring. The Rock Paper Scissors Tournament was an evening full of networking and playing, and there was lots of friendly competition at Corporate Kickball. We are already looking forward to these events next year!
This year, we also explored the complex simplicities of play. A few key takeaways that we
learned were how play can improve multiple areas of your life, including:
- Physical: Understanding physical boundaries and spatial awareness while developing motor skills like hand-eye coordination.
- Social: Communicating with another person, verbally and non-verbally, while working toward a shared goal.
- Emotional: Practicing trusting another person, sharing a value with them, and regulating emotions when you are both successful and unsuccessful.
With the support of our community partners, we have been able to meet kids where they love to be, doing what they love to do – playing on playgrounds and learning the skills that will inspire tomorrow’s innovators and leaders. Thank you so much for your support of another amazing year.
Our full Impact Report is available for download here. To learn more or find a time to see Playworks programming in action, please contact Heather Crowley at heather.crowley@playworks.org.
