Welcome to the Play Matters website!  We are in the process of rebuilding and updating.  Please browse now but also check back in a few weeks for our new look and photos of Docia’s birthday party!

Play Matters is a non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing the role of play in the lives of young children.  It was founded in 2003 in recognition of the life’s work of Docia Zavitkovsky, a long time advocate for children.  The purpose of Play Matters is to stimulate projects which deepen adult understanding of the importance of play in the lives of children birth – 8, and to enhance adult ability to foster and enrich it.  At the core of Play Matters is faith in the transformative process of learning, and appreciation for the vital and integrative role of play in that process.

To carry out its mission, Play Matters awards grants, conducts special events related to play, and seeks collaborators and partners in like-minded efforts. We invite you to learn more about us by playing with all the buttons on our website!

Born in the Panama Canal Zone during the construction of the Panama Canal, Docia grew up in an environment where play was an integral part of her life. For over 60 years Docia has worked with children and adults as parent, teacher, administrator, and catalyst for high quality children’s programs. Says Docia, “Discovering and questioning the world in rich play environments gives children the tools to become creative, knowledgeable, integrated human beings. This is true for adults too. Play matters, at all ages and stages.”