Alumni
Playworks is the organization it is because of the effort and care of the people who work here and who have worked here over our history.
As we endeavor to expand our reach and influence the way our educational system values play, we recognize that tapping into our alumni network represents an important opportunity. It is also our belief that just as Playworks has been positively influenced by our alumni, our alumni have been positively influenced by their experiences at Playworks. It is our hope that in building a stronger engagement with our alumni, we can continue to provide them with transformative opportunities to serve and grow.
Enrichment and Service Opportunities
We provide unique opportunities for our alumni to grow and give back through:
- Engagement initiatives. We want to help you expand and strengthen your professional network by reconnecting you with Playworks alumni through special events and a dynamic online community.
- Educational and professional development. We are developing learning opportunities and partnerships to support your educational and career advancement after Playworks.
- Leadership opportunities. We have alumni-drive initiatives, including opportunities to sit on the Alumni Advisory Board, to lead trainings for Playworks staff, and to serve as Playworks ambassadors.
- Impact opportunities. We create seamless ways for you to plug back into the Playworks community. You can continue to make an impact on more kids’ lives by donating or volunteering.
For more information about the alumni community and ways to get involved, email alumni@playworks.org.
Resources
Urban Teachers knows working with Playworks is a great pre-teacher career experience! If you are ready to become an urban teacher, consider applying to Urban Teachers’ preparation program in Baltimore, DC or Dallas (and soon additional cities). Urban Teachers trains teachers through a 14-month residency and a master’s in partnership with Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Participants also get three years of 1:1 coaching and three-year job placement with a high needs public school. Urban Teachers sets you up to have the potential to be rated a highly effective teacher in your first year but also trains and supports you for multiple years because becoming a great teacher takes time. This kind of thorough preparation is great for students and means more $ for you and quicker through pay for performance and other career opportunities. Apply now
We are excited to partner with Teach Now to provide an opportunity to earn a teaching certification. Former AmeriCorps members can use their Education Award for the certification. Learn more and apply
The Inspired Teaching Residency prepares exceptional individuals for successful and sustainable careers as teachers and changemakers in Washington, DC. Truly valuing the complexity and importance of the teaching profession, the Inspired Teaching Residency recognizes that investing the necessary time into teacher preparation is in the best interest of students.
Inspired Teaching Fellows learn to be
- Instigators of Thought®,
- Experience a residency year and intensive mentoring,
- Receive a Master of Arts in Teaching and a DC teaching license,
- Join a network of educational changemakers, committed to teaching students through an engagement-based, student-centered instructional model,
- Final deadline March 11, 2018.
Join the movement to change the way children are educated. Please mention your Playworks experience in your application. Learn more and apply.
Alumni Spotlight
February 20, 2018
Alumni Spotlight: Catherine Herzog ›
Current Role: Senior Manager of Experiences at IfOnly Who is Catherine Herzog? I’m a native to Southern California and have chased sunshine and adventure since I was a kid. I am known to be an impulsive and frequent traveler, with a habit of moving every few years (typically to places I’ve never visited before), including…
January 12, 2018
Making teaching playful ›
For former Playworks coach turned second-grade teacher Dana Lovecchio, play doesn’t just enhance learning, it’s central to her teaching approach. “I like to think that everything I need to know about teaching I learned at Sports4Kids and Playworks,” says Lovecchio. Lovecchio served as a coach for Playworks (then Sports4Kids) from 2002 to 2004 in the…
October 11, 2017
Coach Alumna Brings Joy to School Community as Principal ›
Alumni Spotlight: Eleanor Alderman Current Role: Principal, International Community School (ICS), Oakland, CA Before Eleanor began her career in teaching and school administration, she was an AmeriCorps coach with Playworks (then called Sports4Kids). We sat down with Eleanor to learn about her journey from coaching to leading school communities. Give us an elevator-pitch-style history about…
October 2, 2017
From the Playground to USC ›
After graduating from college, McKenna Griffith was searching for an opportunity where she could make an impact on students’ lives. She was interested in youth development and wanted to hone her skills by earning a master’s in social work, but McKenna knew that she needed more experience to successfully transition into a graduate program. When…
October 2, 2017
Alumni Spotlight: Odiaka Gonzalez ›
Raised in Atlanta, GA, Odiaka Gonzalez graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in Psychology. Prior to serving as the executive director of Oakland Leaf, a nonprofit that utilizes creative education to develop young leaders to become agents of change in their community, Odiaka was a program manager at Playworks East Bay. A husband, father,…