recess

Playworks is a program that aims to create “safe, inclusive school environments where kids can grow, lead, and thrive” (Playworks, 2013a). Through trained, full-time coaches focused on recess in low-income elementary schools across the country, Playworks provides opportunities for inclusive play and physical activity. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation engaged Mathematica Policy Research and the Gardner Center to conduct a rigorous evaluation of Playworks.

Playworks is a national nonprofit organization that aims to provide safe, healthy, and inclusive play and physical activity to elementary school students at recess and throughout the entire school day. This report is the first from the study of Playworks implementation in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted by the Gardner Center and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This brief is one in a series of reports from the Study of Playworks Implementation in Eight Bay Area schools. It examines the ways that Playworks changes play and physical activity opportunities at school and reports students’, teachers’, and principals’ views of the program’s effects on students and school climate. Findings from the study indicate that Playworks led to improved structure and organization of the play yard at recess.

During the 2009-10 school year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the  Gardner Center  to conduct an implementation study of Playworks in eight San Francisco Bay Area schools. This brief is one in a series of final reports from this implementation study.  It examines the ways that Playworks promotes positive youth development and reports students’, teachers’, and principals’ views of the program's effects on students and the school environment.

This is the final report from the study of Playworks implementation in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted by the Gardner Center and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study aimed to understand the ways that Playworks affected students’ recess and classroom experiences, school personnel, and school climate overall, as well as document the implementation process with a focus on varying school experiences in the context of different school environments.