"Playworks" Pilot Program Off to a Great Start at Kaneohe Elementary School
In the photo above, program administrator Myla Marx leads Kaneohe Elementary School students through the Playworks. These students are showing how far they have come in the last year of the recess model pilot program.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii funded this endeavor to combat childhoood obesity through play activities designed to increase physical activity in safe, inclusive environments built on cooperation and fair play.
Schools received play equipment, Playworks Playbooks, and slotted cones with signage capability, to help organize play spaces for students. So far, shchool administrators and teachers report an increase in student physical activity and a reduction in behavioral problems.
“Giving children a safe, fun outlet for their energy helps them concentrate when they are back in the classroom,” said Lea Albert, Castle/Kahuku Complex Area Superintendent, Hawaii State Department of Education. “We’re helping children develop good habits of fun, physical activity that will hopefully last a lifetime.”
“We couldn’t be happier with the results of the Playworks program and our partnership with the DOE,” said Joan Danieley, vice president of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. “We hope other school administrators and teachers will be inspired to launch Playworks programs at their schools and experience the same successes of helping students thrive in and out of the classroom.”
The Playworks pilot will be extended to other interested schools in the 2014-15 school year.