The US PLAY Coalition: A Partnership to Promote the Value of Play throughout Life is made up of individuals and organizations that recognize play as a valuable and necessary part of a healthy and productive life. We are housed within Clemson University’s College of Health, Education and Human Development and express our gratitude to the university and the college for their continuing support.
The coalition was born of The Summit on the Value of Play which took place at Clemson University in the Summer of 2009 (for more information see the "Conferences" menu above). The attendees at this important summit made a commitment to create a coalition whose purpose would be to bring together organizations and individuals in support of play and to open up opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to incorporate play into their lives. The US PLAY Coalition has created 5 committees that each work to support play through various means. See the "Action Committees" menu above to learn more about these committees.
We invite you to explore the resources on this website and to become involved with the US PLAY Coalition!
Steering Committee from the US Play Coalition
- Co-Chair Dr. Brett Wright - Chair, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University - wright@clemson.edu
- Co-Chair Fran P. Mainella - Visiting Scholar, Clemson University, Former National Park Service Director - fmainel@clemson.edu
- Jodie Adams - Past President of NRPA, Director of Springfield-Greene County Park Board in Springfield, MO - jadams@springfieldmo.gov
- Dr. Joel Agate - Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and Recreation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale - joela@siu.edu
- Dr. Larry Allen - Dean, College of Health, Education and Human Development, Clemson University - lalln@clemson.edu
- Joan Almon - Alliance for Childhood, joan.almon@verizon.net
- Dr. Bob Becker - Academic Program Director, Strom Thurmond Institute of Government & Public Affairs, Clemson University - rhb1@clemson.edu
- Richard J. Dolesh - Chief of Public Policy, National Recreation and Park Association - rdolesh@nrpa.org
- Jackie Epping - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - jge5@cdc.gov
- Dan Hendy - CPSI, Site Masters Inc. - danh@sitemastersinc.com
- Teri Hendy - CPSI, President, Site Masters Inc. - teri@sitemastersinc.com
- Tom Kalousek - Executive Director, Winnebago County Forest Preserve District, Rockford, Illinois - tkalou@aol.com
- Kenneth S. Kutska - Executive Director, International Playground Safety Institute, LLC - kskutska@aol.com
- Tom Norquist - Senior Vice President Product Development/Sales & Marketing - PlayCore/GameTime - tomn@gametime.com
- Eric W. O’Brien - Chairman, O’Brien & Sons, Inc. - eric@obrienandsons.com
- Lynn Pinoniemi - Director of Marketing, Landscape Structures, LynnPinoniemi@playlsi.com
- Dr. Dee Stegelin - Professor, Teacher Education, Eugene T. Moore School of Education, Clemson University - dstegel@clemson.edu
- Dr. Michael Suk - Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, University of Florida - michael.suk@jax.ufl.edu
"Play Unplugged" initiative kickoff in Largo Central Park - March 10 - "Play Unplugged" is designed to help parents, caregivers and local service providers address the barriers and fears impeding children's free play. The initiative kicks off with an event March 10 at Largo Central Park. With the help of Pop Up Adventure Play, a New York-based play advocacy organization, the park will be filled with hands-on-games, discovery stations and a plethora of recycled materials including old refrigerator boxes, pieces of old fabric and scraps of wood and paper. Organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, will be conducting tree climbing lessons. Along with the large event on March 10, the following Monday, McMahon will hold a "train the trainer'' day for caregivers from day care centers throughout Pinellas County. The program will provide more discussion on free play.
Certified Interpretive Trainers Course in Charlotte, NC - April 16 to April 20 - The National Association of Interpreters (NAI) is hosting a Certified Interpretive Trainers (CIT) course at the Reedy Creek Nature Center in Charlotte, NC. Completing this course will help interpreters demonstrate they have skills and knowledge to perform effectively. The course is open to any interested individuals, but is of particular interest to those working in nature centers, museums, zoos, living history sites, etc.
26th International Council for Children's Play (ICCP) World Play Conference - June 17 to June 20 - The 26th ICCP World Play Conference will be held in Tallinn, Estonia on the 18 and 19 June 2012, organised in co-operation with Tallinn University and the Estonian Union for Child Welfare. Children need time and space to play as part of their everyday lives. 'Play' is provided and organised in many different forms, from educational activities for pre-school children to childcare services for school-aged children; from playwork settings to youth services; from outdoor play to play in the virtual environment for children of all ages; from sports and leisure activities for young children and teenagers; and many, many more. This conference will explore what can be learnt from research about the provision of play by adults in the light of the widely-held view of children's need for undirected time and space in their lives from a practical, philosophical and historical perspective.