NYC paying to teach children how to play respectfully
The NYC Department of Education is paying people to teach kids how to play in order to combat bullying.
They're called recess coaches and they aim to teach kids how to play respectfully.
Playworks is the company behind these recess wranglers and they have a system they say transforms this pivotal time in the school day into a time of positive growth.
According to the New York Post, the Board of Education has spent $425,000 on this program.
The company released a statement stating that “Playworks vision is that one day every child in America will get to play every day. However, play time is often a period of chaos and conflict, we want all kids to have fun and find joy on the playground.”
They accomplish this by including kids who may be left out of activities by incorporating cheerleading or encouraging the kids to do individual exercises like jumping jacks.
Playworks also says that during their activities like tag, no child is "out" but merely "unsuccessful."
Opponents to this strategy argue that it’s impossible for kids to be able to taste the sweetness of success without experiencing some loss.
But proponents say the positive effects are immediate as well ones that impact these students' future.
“This program has provided us with a full-time staff member who doesn’t just work our 3 recess periods. She works 8 hours a day at our school, working with classes, teaching our students conflict resolution skills, which is something that all schools do whether they’re doing it through Playworks or they’re doing it through a different program or if they’re not doing it at all then they’re paying for it in other ways,” Assistant Principal at PS 2, Joanna Cohen, said.
PS 2 is just one out of a total of 5 schools that have this program throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan.