Social entrepreneur Jill Vialet has spent more than 30 years using play to help millions of children live better and learn better, first through the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland, California, which she co-founded in 1988, and more recently through Playworks, her non-profit elementary education program. Founded in 1996, Playworks makes school playgrounds safer and more inclusive so children can spend more time in play state, which in turn supports improved classroom behavior and academic achievement. She has been awarded several fellowships, most recently at Stanford’s d.school in 2015–2016. In addition to her service on the National Institute For Play board, she is on the advisory board for UC Berkeley’s Principal Leadership Institute, writes extensively on the benefits of play, and is a frequent public speaker (for example, her speech “The Power of Play” at TEDMED).
Read more about Jill Vialet on Wikipedia
Most Influential Work:
- Her third book, Why Play Works (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2021), was written to support parents, educators, and schools in promoting safe and healthy play as a necessary aspect of children’s education.
- Substantial Classrooms: Redesigning the Substitute Teaching Experience (Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2021; with Amanda von Moos)
- Recess Rules (Oakland, CA: Playworks, 2013)
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