named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Joan Almon Childhood Legacy Fund
Fund established in honor of co-founder Joan Almon to support innovative play projects, early career playworkers, international collaborations, and advocacy initiatives
Just Play Project
Community-based initiative in Ithaca, NY that trains and employs playworkers, empowers youth participation in public space design, and supports cross-sector collaborations to create policies for children's play; fiscally sponsored by Alliance for Childhood
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Capacity building for play advocates and organizationsDevelops and delivers leadership development curricula, training, and educational materials for organizations and individuals advancing children's play. Provides support for early-career playworkers, facilitates collaborations with international partners, and offers organizational and strategic guidance to allied groups.
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Youth and Community Research Initiatives 1 activity
- Research and publication on play, early education, and technologyConducts and publishes research-based reports and resources on the importance of play in early childhood, risks of early academic pressure and screen time, and benefits of risk-taking and recess. Key publications include “Crisis in the Kindergarten,” “Fool’s Gold,” “Facing the Screen Dilemma,” and “A Research-Based Case for Recess,” among others.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Advocacy for children's play and healthy developmentAdvocates for child-initiated, intrinsically motivated, active, open-ended, and freely chosen play as essential to children's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. Campaigns include reducing screen time and high-stakes testing, promoting recess, and expanding access to outdoor, loose parts, and adventure play in schools and communities.
- Fiscal sponsorship and resource allocation for play initiativesServes as fiscal sponsor for play-based projects such as the Just Play Project in Ithaca, NY, and allocates resources to support innovative play programs and advocacy networks.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$9K
Contributions & grants$9K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$26K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$16K
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$11K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$11K
4 years on record · 2019–2022 · YoY revenue -70.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BETH MYERS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 10 | $16K |
board members · 2
- ERYN LAKE — DIRECTOR
- MARIO MAZZONE — DIRECTOR
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- Alliance for Childhood Network — Member organization promoting child-centered education and development.
- Amazon Partner — Partners with Amazon to distribute printed copies of publications.
- Bernheim Partner — Partners on nature-based play initiatives, as shown by photo credit and shared emphasis on outdoor play.
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Partner — Collaborated on a video featuring Joan Almon about the importance of natural spaces for children.
- Fetzer Institute Funder — Provided funding for the founding event of the Alliance for Childhood in February 1999.
- International Alliance for Childhood Network Network — Joan Almon was a founding and active member of the International Group of the Alliance for Childhood, collaborating regularly with partners in Brazil, Brussels, the UK, and the US.
- International Alliance for Childhood Organizations Partner — Alliance for Childhood participates regularly in video conference discussions with international partner organizations to share information and research on children's healthy development.
- Just Play Project Partner — Alliance for Childhood serves as fiscal sponsor for the Just Play Project in Ithaca, New York.
- KaBOOM! Partner — Co-produced films and collaborated on advocacy content related to children's play.
- Providence PlayCorps Partner — Supported the production of a video showcasing their pop-up play and loose parts program.
- Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor Partner — Collaborates on initiatives related to childhood play, as indicated by photo credit and alignment with nature and active play values.
- Rudolph Steiner School of Ann Arbor Partner — Collaborates on visual content to promote the benefits of play
- The Center for the Study of the Spiritual Foundations of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University Partner — Sponsored the founding event of the Alliance for Childhood in February 1999.
- Twitter Network — Uses Twitter to share insights and updates on childhood-related topics.
- US Play Coalition Partner — Alliance for Childhood serves on the steering committee of the US Play Coalition.
- US Play Coalition Partner — Joan Almon was a founding steering committee member and shared her expertise in the value of play with the US Play Coalition.
- play:groundNYC Partner — Collaborates on play-focused initiatives, as evidenced by photo credit and shared focus on child-directed play.
- play:groundNYC Partner — Collaborates on visual content to promote the benefits of play
- play:groundNYC Partner — Produced a video documenting child-led play at their adventure playground on Governors Island.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Global Research and Cross-Cultural Exchange to Inform Practicemethodology: global-collaborative-researchBy collaborating internationally to exchange research and practices, the organization strengthens its advocacy and programming, because global insights enhance the understanding of universal and context-specific challenges to children’s healthy development through play.
- Networked Advocacy and Collective Actionmethodology: network_participationBy engaging donors, allies, and organizational networks in coordinated action, the organization amplifies its advocacy impact on play-centered policies, because collective influence through aligned networks increases reach, legitimacy, and policy change potential.
- Play-Based Development as Foundational to Child Well-Beingmethodology: play-based_developmentBy ensuring child-directed, intrinsically motivated free play, the organization produces improved cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development in children, because unstructured play is a critical driver of holistic growth and resilience. This approach also reduces stress, screen time, and the negative impacts of high-stakes testing.
- Playwork and Participatory Design for Systemic Changemethodology: playworkBy training and employing playworkers and involving youth in public space design, the organization fosters child-centered environments and influences policy, because professionalized play support and participatory processes lead to more sustainable, equitable, and effective play-friendly systems.