Welcome to Play Empowers

It was PLAY that EMPOWERED the creation of this blog.. here's the scoop.

Play Empowers was started as a private learning community on Facebook under the name Play Is Power. After operational changes Lakisha Reid called on the support of several members and together they took the group in a public direction in order to broaden the reach and share the value of play with the public. With this came a name change and the development of a public page, a conference and this collaborative blog.   It became abundantly clear that a public outlet to share ideas and promote and advocate for play was necessary. This blog is a collaborative effort taken on by a few key group members of the Play Empowers group Amy Ahola, Dan Hodgins, and  Stephanie Krause . The purpose of the blog  is to reach out into the community to share the power of play. It's for caregivers, educators, parents, grandparents, policy makers and anyone who wants to learn more about the many ways play empowers children. The blog will present documentation through photos, video, learning stories, research, articles, book suggestions, quotes and all things play. We look forward to sharing our stories and hope to inspire you to share yours.

Meet the Collaborators.

Our vision for this blog is of one that will speak with the voice of, not only educators in centers, but also educators in family homes, outdoor classrooms, parents of children attending play based programs, presenters, policy makers, book authors and the voice of many who are learning and growing each and every day alongside  children.  It is our hope that by sharing these many perspectives our readers will hear a voice that speaks to them.

Collaborating Creators/Authors : 

Resident Authors:  

Bj Richards- Owner/ Lead Teacher at Bj's Kids ( Family Child Care)
Michael Leeman- Teacher ( Roseville Community Preschool)
Marc Armitage- Independent consultant, writer and researcher in playworking

Guest Authors 

We each tell our own stories from our own point of view to provide an abundance of prospective on this shared mission to creating, supporting and enhancing developmentally appropriate high quality early childhood programs. Through this blog we all hope to grow and change and invite you along for the journey.