The Playworks Mission: To improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

Playworks is a national nonprofit organisation that supports learning by providing safe, healthy and inclusive play and physical activity to low-income schools at recess and throughout the entire school day. Playworks currently operate their direct service program in more than 300 schools in 23 US cities, and serve more than 130,000 elementary school students every day and are now looking to explore the opportunity to expand their initiative in Ireland.

Playworks Training also provides training and technical support for schools and youth organisations that wish to train their own adults to manage a healthy and inclusive playground.

Schoolyards without supervised recess, lunch time and afterschool activities have become breeding grounds for bullying, fights and illegal activity. Principals report that the majority of discipline-related problems occur outside of class time (87%) with the majority of those occurring during recess or lunch (89%). Too often problems from the playground spill over into the classroom, creating distractions for students and teachers. The lack of physical activity in and around schools is due partly to a lack of appropriate infrastructure. Due to budget cutbacks, schools in low-income areas often have no adult supervision and little or no playground equipment.

Through Playworks, Jill collaborates with school staff to orchestrate lunchtime and recess activities and to reintroduce physical education into the classroom. She develops and coordinates after school programs that include homework help, healthy snacks, and organised sports and games. Playworks also provide training and technical assistance to schools, districts and youth organisations that wish to include inclusive, healthy play as part of a positive learning environment.

Helping students break free of the false tension between physical health and academic achievement; Playworks' programs drive significant progress in both areas. Students come to classes with more energy and excitement, administrators cut down on discipline problems and teachers learn how to meet state-mandated standards for physical education while having fun with their students. It is little surprise then, that principals and teachers cite Playworks as one of the most indispensable programs in their schools.

The primary clients of Playworks are school principals looking to bring physical activity and play back into the lives of their students and at the same time cut down on discipline problems. Jill positions Playworks as an affordable entry to these principals’ stressed budgets, offering its comprehensive program for about US$25,000 per year. Jill keeps costs low by offering jobs to new employment seekers in the labour market, some subsidised by government programs, as well as a wide array of community volunteers. It’s now 15 years since Playworks launched on its first playgrounds. Today, Playworks is the only non-profit organisation in the United States providing trained, full-time play coaches focused on recess to hundreds of low-income schools in major urban areas.