P.L.A.Y.S. (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer) Program
This project's parent organization is Chicago Fire Foundation
It operates in United States
It uses Football (Soccer)
Entered the Sport for Quality Education and Employment Award
More about P.L.A.Y.S. (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer) Program
Within Chicago Public Schools (CPS), 40% drop out at a rate of nearly 70 students per day and additionally, fewer than 70% of students graduate from high school. The Chicago Fire Foundation’s youth program, P.L.A.Y.S. (Participate, Learn, Achieve, Youth, Soccer), uses a curriculum specifically designed to enhance key social and emotional (SEL) skills of youth to improve students’ academic performance. This is the first program of its kind where basic soccer skills and concepts are explicitly paired with SEL traits proven to enhance behavior and academic focus.
This year, 55% of program schools are in the top 20 most violent neighborhoods in Chicago. Additionally, within our schools, many students struggle with lower-than-average math and reading scores. Among CPS fourth-graders, 30% were proficient in math compared to 40% nationally. For students living these in low-income neighborhoods, challenges extend far beyond academics. They face threats of violence, crime, and drug use and those who dropout are 8x more likely to end up in prison. P.L.A.Y.S. uses sport to provide these students a safe, positive, healthy, and academically beneficial program to ensure success in life.