Washington, D.C.

Last year I had a student, Clinton, who was pretty challenging. He had some attitude issues, and was constantly put on the fence by his teachers because of something he did in class or at lunch. He could be disrespectful to other kids, didn’t want to participate in games and was hard to get through to. He had some discipline problems, and I was sometimes asked to take him out of class to talk with him.

Brearn Wright Jr. remembers recess during his first year as principal of Clark Elementary School in Petworth as "like a MASH unit." "Recess time was the time the school nurse dreaded, because she knew she'd have so many kids waiting in the lobby" to be treated for injuries from fighting or falling, Wright said.

Sherry Spence, program manager, came to Playworks from Just Us Kids where she spent four years as an early childhood developer facilitating activities that focused on the emotional, cognitive and physical development of children. As a program coordinator and now program manager, she is tremendously happy that Playworks has met and even surpassed her expectations with revolutionary methods and seriousness in recognizing the importance of PLAY for the healthy development of kids in the D.C. area.
 

Kailyn Jones, Office Manager/Program Associate, came to Playworks from the University of Michigan. She spent a year as a site coordinator in Washington, D.C. and has now moved to the Playworks office in Dupont Circle to assist in program logistics and aid in the planning for the AmeriCorps program. She feels Playworks not only instills the core value of inclusion in our students, but also models it well as an organization.

Ayanna Rutherford, AmeriCorps Program Manager, comes to Playworks after serving Maricopa Association of Governments through the AmeriCorps programs. In her current position Ayanna is responsible for staffing the regional Advisory Councils, grant writing, and administrative work. Ayanna is eager to help Playworks reach more kids and is excited about the inclusive culture that Playworks breeds within the schools.

Upcoming Events

Please check back for details on exciting local events supporting our Washington, D.C. schools.

Washington, D.C.

August 24, 2009 First day of will school

Past Events

Playworks league play will resume in the fall, when school starts up.  Stay tuned for schedules.

Supporters
Playworks' Washington, D.C. program is supported in part with grants from the following philanthropic organizations:

On April 13, Playworks in Washington, D.C. had the fantastic opportunity to show off the work we do at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Some 30,000 kids, parents and other dignitaries showed up for this year's event, and most of them made their way through the Playworks basketball and soccer stations.