Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Grants to Support Playful Learning in Preschool through Third Grade

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Grants to Support Playful Learning in Preschool through Third Grade

EVERETT – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that it is awarding $140,000 in grants to four school districts to continue efforts to incorporate playful learning strategies into preschool through third grade classrooms. The funding will provide professional development and coaching to district and school leaders, classroom educators and other specialists on how to sustain the use of play as an effective instructional approach that leads to deeper learning and is more accessible to all students. 

“The Healey-Driscoll administration is committed to giving our youngest learners classroom experiences that are fun, engaging and aligned with our state’s curriculum frameworks,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Through playful learning, students have opportunities to navigate different situations and engage with content in meaningful ways.”

"Young children learn best through play," said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez. "These grants continue to equip educators with tools that lead to equitable and meaningful learning experiences for students."

The grant, called the Playful Learning Institute Continuation Grant Program, allows four districts to continue participation in the pilot of the Playful Learning Institute hosted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). These four teams were part of the cohort 1 pilot and will continue to build on work started in Year 1 (2023-2024) and Year 2 (2024-2025), including but not limited to mentoring new districts participating in the pilot as part of cohort two. Through continued coaching and professional development, participants will gain additional tools and strategies needed to intentionally design and embed playful learning across the course of the day. This funding builds on the $1.2 million the administration awarded last year for the second cohort.

DESE is working with NORC at the University of Chicago to evaluate the impact of the Playful Learning Institute.

The grant recipients each received $35,000 for grant activities, including professional development and coaching. The recipients are:

• Beverly Public Schools,
• Pioneer Valley Regional School District,
• Sharon Public Schools, and
• Woburn Public Schools.