Organizing frenzy on city school playgrounds

At some city public schools, there is no recess at all - deep budget cuts mean there are not enough adults to monitor students' playtime.

But at McMichael Elementary in Mantua, children troop out onto the schoolyard in orderly lines, pledge to be respectful and kind, then break out into orderly but joyous games of football, dodgeball and foursquare - blowing off steam with a genial man known as Coach Steve.

McMichael is one of 13 Philadelphia School District schools and three city charters that use Playworks, a nonprofit that places a full-time staffer in schools to structure recess.

Play is crucial to child development, research shows, and structured play can lead to improved student behavior, a drop in violent incidents, and even improved academic performance.

Playworks' goal is to get a "great recess" in every city school by 2025, and to that end, School District officials, City Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, and City Councilman Bobby Henon on Friday swung open the big doors onto McMichael's concrete yard to watch organized frenzy in action.

Steve Johnson is McMichael's dedicated Playworks coach, an energetic presence with a whistle slung around his neck and a way of commanding respect without intimidating the school's 400 K-8 students. He organizes games, emphasizes rules, teamwork, and conflict resolution skills, structuring down time both on the playground and off.

When Brian Wallace, now McMichael's principal, worked at another school as assistant principal, 80 percent of the student conflicts he dealt with arose on the playground and bubbled over into the classroom, he said.'

When he came to McMichael, at 35th Street and Fairmount Avenue, Playworks was already in place, and those conflicts rarely arise, he said.

"This does wonders for student achievement," Wallace said. "I cannot imagine being a principal without Playworks."

Ejjiah Cheeseboro, a McMichael third grader, gave playtime with Coach Steve an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"I love recess," Ejjiah said Friday during a pause in play. "We practice respect, kindness, and responsibleness. We practice being safe."

Henon waded right into games of foursquare and dodgeball in the McMichael yard. He's a big fan of Playworks, Henon said, which dovetails with Philly Play, a city program begun by Henon to encourage children to be active and healthy.

"Healthy, structured play really does help with kids' achievement," said Henon. "We're looking to partner with the School District and Playworks to make a difference."

Of course, funding is a real question mark. Playworks shoulders half the cost of placing a coach, but schools are responsible themselves for coming up with $28,000 annually.

In the district's current fiscal straits, no principal has that money available. Those who do have Playworks rely on an outside partner, such as Drexel University, which helps McMichael and Powel Elementaries. Other schools use Home and School Association money, or other funders.

To reach its goal of effective structured play for all city schools by 2025, the organization will explore using other models - having schools share coaches, or having staff train school employees in how to lead structured recess, said Jeannette Fournier, Playworks Pennsylvania's executive director.

"Kids need exercise time, and mentorship," Fournier said. "We're making real change in neighborhoods."