"When Playworks came to our school, it changed Gabriel's world. From kindergarten to 4th grade, Gabriel was picked on and bullied . . . especially at recess. Then Playworks came to Castlemont School in Campbell, and Coach Michelle arrived. In a few days, with her gentle encouragement, Gabriel started playing . . . and rather than laughing and teasing him, the other kids were giving him high fives. Now he's motivated to go to school, to socialize and as a result, his grades have improved. Gabriel
Recess is not what it used to be. Frequent fights, limited play-time, and breakdowns in social skills have contributed to problematic and unsafe recess times. Those issues spill over into the classroom and can result in losing up to 36 hours of academic time per class, per year. Students, teachers, principals, and parents are all affected by a further strained school environment. Having a positive school climate will benefit everyone in the larger community.
We send one well-trained, caring adult to each low-income school to engage all the children in physical activity every day all day. Coaches mentor, organize games at recess, lead individual class game times, run youth leadership and afterschool programs, and sports leagues. A Stanford Mathematica study has proven that Playworks reduces bullying, improves school climate, increases daily physical activity, saves valuable teaching time and kids return to class ready to learn.
Scientific data confirms that learning cooperative play, conflict resolution, and healthy lifestyles early on are building blocks for success to help build a constructive community. Playworks Silicon Valley currently serves 14,400 students daily in 27 low-income schools, and with your support, we plan to reach thousands more in the region.
