Philadelphia nonprofit Playful Learning Landscapes has brought the concept of playful learning to the city over the past decade-plus and want to expand it even more, writes Michaelle Bond for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Founded in 2009, Playful Learning Landscapes brought playful learning to various spaces, including parks, sidewalks, subway stops, laundromats, grocery stores, and more.
More recently, it helped bring playful learning to subsidized housing with installations at two North Philadelphia sites through its Live and Learn pilot program.
Playful learning is known for engaging children and their caregivers in skill-building lessons.
The organization hopes the pilot program will result in more similar programs across the nation in order to help underserved children get closer to a level playing field among their peers who have better access to educational opportunities.
According to Heidi Segall Levy, an architect and project manager of the Live and Learn initiative, the goal is to incorporate playing learning into all subsidized housing developments.
“We were really trying to increase educational equity,” she said. “And the way to do that is to really bring it into [people’s] homes.”
Not just homes, but any space where children and caregivers can spend time together and engage with one another.
The hope is for the concept to grow exponentially.
Read more about Playful Learning Landscapes and the vision to increase educational equity in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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