Play is fundamental to kid's whole child health and well-being. Play is a kid's preferred way of learning, and research demonstrates that play can enhance academic performance.
Despite all the benefits of play, not all children in the Rochester City School District have equitable access to the benefits of play in their education experience. Despite bright spots throughout the district, and a wealth of community organizations committed to the power of play, there is no coordination of these efforts, or mechanisms to support the transition of knowledge and resources between buildings. That's why the PlayROCs Advocacy Committee and families in the Rochester City School District have decided enough is enough! We need to make sure that potential of play is centered in our children's learning experiences.
Over the Spring and Summer we have brought together RCSD youth, families and organizations to develop a collective vision for playful learning for ALL students in the district. We've heard from hundreds of families and students in the district of what THEY want to see happen when it comes to ensuring play is fundamental to their education.
On Tuesday, October 5th, we kicked off that vision for playful learning in a one time event! Join us as we welcome Dr. Brian Wright, a national early childhood education specialist from the University of Memphis who wrote "The Brilliance of Black Boys: Cultivating School Success in the Early Grades". Dr. Wright will share with us as how we can take our collective vision for playful learning and bring it to life in a way that honors, celebrates and centers our Black and Brown students across the district.
Coming Soon! PlayROCs the RCSD: A Community Vision for Playful Learning Report!
Join Us as We Kick Off a Community Vision for Playful Learning in the RCSD With Keynote Speaker Dr. Brian Wright!
Play is fundamental to kids' whole child health and well-being. Play is kids' preferred way of learning, and research demonstrates that play supports better academic outcomes.
That’s why parents from our PlayROCs Advocacy Committee joined forces with Healthi Kids and our playful partner organizations – to bring the power of play back to the Rochester City School District. Over the Spring and Summer we have brought together RCSD youth, families and organizations to develop a collective vision for playful learning for ALL students in the district. We've heard from hundreds of families and students in the district of what THEY want to see happen when it comes to ensuring play is fundamental to their education.
On Tuesday, October 5th, we're kicking off that vision for playful learning in a one time event! Join us as we welcome Dr. Brian Wright, a national early childhood education specialist from the University of Memphis who wrote "The Brilliance of Black Boys: Cultivating School Success in the Early Grades". Dr. Wright will share with us as how we can take our collective vision for playful learning and bring it to life in a way that honors, celebrates and centers our Black and Brown students across the district.
Dr. Wright is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Instruction at the University of Memphis. He is also the Program Coordinator of the Curriculum Leaders in the College of Education and Coordinator of the Middle School Cohort of the African American Male Academy at the university. His research examines high-achieving African American boys in urban schools (preK-12), racial-ethnic identity development of boys, STEM and African American boys (P-12), African American males as early childhood teachers and teacher identity development.
Log in on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 from 5:30-7:30p. The event will be held virtually on zoom, is free of charge, and open to families, students, educators, and anyone interested in advancing playful learning experiences within RCSD!
Register to attend by clicking here
For more information, visit https://www.healthikids.org/our-priorities/the-power-of-play/playrocs-the-rochester-city-school-district
Or connect with us at info@healthikids.org
For Dr. Wright's full bio visit our website
Play is fundamental to kid's whole child health and well-being. Play is a kid's preferred way of learning, and research demonstrates that play can enhance academic performance.
Despite all the benefits of play, not all children in the Rochester City School District have equitable access to the benefits of play in their education experience. Despite bright spots throughout the district, and a wealth of community organizations committed to the power of play, there is no coordination of these efforts, or mechanisms to support the transition of knowledge and resources between buildings. That's why the PlayROCs Advocacy Committee and families have decided enough is enough! We need to make sure that potential of play is centered in our children's learning experiences.
Play is central to the education and well-being of our children. To support our kids, we must maximize the potential play can bring to our education system. All children (Prek-12) in the Rochester City School District must have equitable access to playful learning and unstructured play opportunities throughout the day (in school, out of school, and during the summer).
Goal(s) of the project:
- Develop a community vision for play to support children’s learning and outcomes in Rochester City School District. The end result of the series of meetings will be the creation of a “vision for play” that highlights strategies and tactics to move forward the potential of play in our learning environments.
- Lift and amplify community bright spots: there are so many schools, community organizations and parent leaders that are driving forward change to maximize the potential of play in learning. Our goal is to amplify these bright spots and develop recommendations to bring these successes to all children in the district.
- Center family and youth voice: Families and youth are the one consistent factor in the Rochester City School District. The Play and Education convening will amplify and ensure family, caregiver and youth voices are centered, prioritized and honored. Throughout the meetings participants will hear from youth and families, and we encourage all parents to participate! This meeting was planned by parents just like you!
- Educate on the importance of play and learning. You’ll learn from national and local experts how playful learning and unstructured play enhances academic achievement, improves kids’ health and wellbeing, and is a key strategy for kids to build healthy relationships.
- Advocate: We know that real barriers exist to bringing the joy of play to each child in the district. The sessions will identify where the opportunities are for district wide systems change to improve policies, environments, and practices that support play and center kids and families
- Coordinate: organizations across the community are doing amazing things to bring the power of play in the Rochester City School District. Unfortunately, we aren’t always aligned in these efforts. These sessions will seek to align and coordinate community resources around play and education to ensure all kids have access to the potential of play in their school.
- Importance of play-based learning in child development - Medium article
- The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond - American Academy of Pediatrics
- 10 things every parent should know about play - NAEYC
- Learning through play: Strengthening learning through play in early childhood education programs - UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation
- The importance of play for adolescents - Heather R. Hayes & Associates, Inc.
- PlayROCs Advocacy Committee parent leaders: Heather Feinman, Sasha Lewis, Sandy Mayer, Emma Morrison, and Precious Moses
- Whole Child Connection at Children's Institute
- Aria Strategies LLC
- Roc the Future
- The Strong Museum of Play
- Greater Rochester After School and Summer Alliance
- Generations 2
Bio of Dr. Brian Wright - Keynote speaker at the community kick off
Brian L. Wright, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership in the College of Education and Coordinator of the Middle School Cohort of the African American Male Academy https://www.memphis.edu/african_american_male_academy/ at the University of Memphis.
Dr. Wright teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level (masters/doctoral) courses that include, but are not limited to, culture and learning, indigenous and decolonized philosophies/epistemologies, critical pedagogies, masculinities in urban schools. His research examines high-achieving African American boys in urban schools (pre-K-12), racial-ethnic identity development of boys, STEM and African American boys (P-12), African American males as early childhood teachers, and teacher identity development.
Dr. Wright has published articles in Urban Education, Theory Into Practice, and The Journal of Negro Education, to name a few. He has co-authored articles that have appeared in Young Children, Teaching Young Children, EXCHANGE, Childhood Explorer, Gifted Child Today, Handbook on Gifted Education, Psychology Forum, Journal of African American Males in Education, Boyhood Studies and others.
Dr. Wright is a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) consulting editor, Journal Reviewer for several academic journals, and past organizer/co-leader of a special-interest forum entitled Educating Black Boys and Adolescent Males with Childhood Education International (CEI). He has given several keynote addresses and countless workshops and presented his research at local, state, and national conferences. Dr. Wright consults locally and nationally on and about the education of Black boys.
Dr. Wright is listed via “Rise for Boys and Men of Color Expert Directory” which is a searchable directory of more than 100 researchers and evaluators who rigorously and routinely study boys and men of color and evaluate programs to serve them. Dr. Wright is also a 2021 NAEYC President’s Emerging Leaders Circle fellow and the author of the award-winning (2018 NAME Philip C. Chinn Book Award), bestseller book, The Brilliance of Black Boys: Cultivating School Success in the Early Grades (published in 2018 by Teachers College Press, Columbia University-- https://www.tcpress.com/the-brilliance-of-black-boys-9780807758922?page_id=221) and lead co-editor of Gumbo for the Soul III: Males of Color Sharing Their Stories, Meditations, Affirmations, and Inspirations (Contemporary Perspectives on Multicultural Gifted Education – Published July 2019 by Information Age Publishing, Inc.-- https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Gumbo-for-the-Soul-III).
Dr. Wright is lead co-author of Black Boys are Lit: Engaging Young Gifted and Talented Black Boys Using Multicultural Literature and Ford’s Bloom-Banks Matrix (in press with Information Age Publishing’s Contemporary Perspectives on Multicultural Gifted Education). Dr. Wright is co-editor of the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Program Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8 (in progress) – (https://www.amazon.com/Developmentally- Appropriate-Practice-Childhood- Programs/dp/1938113950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Brian+L.+Wright+DAP&qid=16195 31264&sr=8-1). Dr. Wright earned his Ph.D. in Applied Child Development from the Eliot- Person Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University, Medford, MA.