Social entrepreneur and play advocate Jill Vialet founded Playworks in 1996 after witnessing how chaotic, exclusionary school recesses were failing children — particularly those in under-resourced schools. Playworks partners with schools to transform recess into a safe, inclusive, and joyful experience by training coaches and teaching cooperative games, replacing idleness and bullying with structured yet playful engagement. Today Playworks serves hundreds of thousands of children in schools across the United States and has generated rigorous evidence — including a landmark RAND Corporation study — showing that quality recess improves school climate, reduces bullying, and increases readiness to learn. A recipient of the Ashoka Fellowship, the Champion of Change Award from the White House, and other honors, Vialet has been a leading public voice for the right of every child to play.
