You may remember Play:Ground NYC’s amazing Playworkers from their presentations at our Annual Stewardship Workshops.

You can currently sign-up for their Spring Playworker Training to learn about playwork with play:ground’s head playworker, Yoni Kallai.  The NYC Playgrounds Program would be happy to support the training through our mini-grant program with hopes that the attending teacher would bring back the lessons of playwork to their school’s recess supervisors, PTA, or afterschool program to encourage kid-directed play in their community playground. 

About Playwork Professional Development

The professional education component of play:groundNYC’s programming is designed to disseminate the knowledge and tools to support the many ways that children play. By targeting educators and professionals who operate in fields with tremendous influence on children’s lives, they hope to leverage theirresources for the broadest impact. Play:groundNYC provides examples of playwork, both theoretical and experiential, to increase the integration of self-directed play into school curricula and environment.

Learn at The Yard on Governor’s Island

Throughout play:ground’s extended season, they offer workshops at The Yard. Educators learn about playwork and then play at The Yard themselves, reconnecting with theories of play, collaboration and risk in an embodied manner.

Bring play:ground to your school:

Alternatively, play:ground’s playworkers can work within the school environment by hosting a pop-up for students. In this scenario, the teachers learn through recommended reading and discussion topics and are then guided in observation and collaboration as playworkers work with the children.