“Teachers and school leaders spend countless hours researching the best practices to improve student attendance. I’ve found that providing students with daily opportunities to play with their classmates during recess and learn new skills in physical education class, improves daily attendance.”

“Neither I nor my husband had much experience playing baseball growing up, but our son’s passion for baseball inspired us to get involved. My husband coaches and I sit on the organization’s board and assist with fundraising. We have given our son a voice in deciding how we can be active and benefit from the lessons that team sports provide.”

“Our alums are a crucial part of our CitySquash community. Not only do they provide inspiration and support to our younger participants who are following in their footsteps, but they also provide invaluable insight on our organizational goals and culture. Just in the past year, our Alumni Board has played a leading role in helping to create more forums for important issues, guiding the organization in making the CitySquash experience as inclusive and equitable as possible.”

“Teachers and school leaders spend countless hours researching the best practices to improve student attendance. I’ve found that providing students with daily opportunities to play with their classmates during recess and learn new skills in physical education class, improves daily attendance.”

“The pandemic exacerbated deeply entrenched dynamics that impact our fighters at The Bloc. While some communities had the resources to immediately shift to small group training, implement social distancing within their facilities, and supply the necessary PPE to quickly resume programming, many sports programs in historically disenfranchised communities were forced to close. The result was an unprecedented isolation from social contact and vital resources and relationships for many young people who were already pushed to the fringes of society. In this sense, providing free access to high quality sports programming is an issue of justice and equality made more urgent by the pandemic.”

“After years of implementing a variety of research-based practices to improve school climate and culture, I have found play to be one of the most effective practices. Being intentional by including recess and physical education on the master schedule, contributes to improved classroom and school behavior.”