Exchange Sneak Peek—The Power of Play: Partnering Schools and Community Organizations for New Orleans Youth

2025 Exchange poster presenter Delaney Campo of the Louisiana Children’s Museum offers a sneak peek at her presentation: Play Power: Unlocking Access to SEL Through Embedded Programming.

I’m looking forward to my poster presentation, where I’ll be sharing information about Play Power, an embedded social and emotional learning (SEL) outreach program through the Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM).

The program offers a unique approach to traditional SEL classroom programs, serving as a beacon for community collaboration and engagement. Play Power fosters social and emotional well-being among K–2 students and educators in New Orleans public schools and promotes SEL through community, relationships, and resilience.

Here’s a peek at what I’ll be sharing:

Community

Play Power’s origins are rooted in the strength of community partnership. The original Play Power curriculum was given to LCM in 2006 by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, which had developed what they called Play Heals in the aftermath of September 11. They shared the program with LCM to address the needs of children after Hurricane Katrina, and it was further adapted to meet emerging needs post-pandemic.

Given research and data confirming disproportionately high levels of trauma among children in New Orleans, this program continues to be a critical tool in leveling the playing field and positioning local children for success both in and out of school. Play Power is consistently adapted to meet the evolving needs of the schools and students it serves.

Relationships

Educators from LCM deliver weekly, 25–40-minute tailored Play Power lessons to classrooms across the New Orleans area. In each lesson, educators build relationships with students and guide their play through reflective questioning and carefully planned, play-based activities such as art, music, drama, storytelling, and games. The program offers classroom teachers a unique opportunity to engage with their students in a novel way, as they participate alongside them in the activities, fostering stronger bonds that can carry over into daily instruction.

Resilience

New Orleanians know the importance of fostering resilience. With the consistent threat of hurricanes and flooding, residents rely on each other for support in the face of challenges. Play Power lessons focus on themes of identity, belonging, and teamwork. As children grow in these areas, they also grow in their capacity to face and overcome adversity.

Looking Ahead to the Exchange

At the Exchange, I hope to gain a better understanding of other efforts that communities and educators are making to prepare children for thriving social and emotional lives. With so much happening in today’s social, political, and economic climate, it is incredibly important that schools and community organizations work together to promote resilience and kindness in our youth. I can only imagine what our world will look like when these children become our leaders!

To learn more about this and other other great SEL topics, be sure to register for the 2025 Exchange, November 4-6, in Minneapolis, Minn.

The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.

Delaney Campo is a licensed professional counselor and a nationally certified counselor. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. Campo has worked in schools in both a teaching and counseling capacity. In her role as Health & Wellness Director at the Louisiana Children’s Museum, Campo has increased the amount of social emotional learning opportunities for museum guests and the broader community through wellness workshops and strategic programming. As the supervisor for the Play Power school outreach program, Campo has made sure to uplift and support the play power educators in their implementation of the program designed to address the diverse needs of New Orleans children.

Related Posts:

• Why Museums Are “The New Frontier” for SEL
• “SEL Skybridges”: Museums as Partners in Social and Emotional Learning
• Roundup: 11 Blogs Showcasing SEL in Unexpected Places

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