From Conference Halls to City Hall: A Fall of Big Moments

Members of the Live and Learn team with Cindy Eggleton, Executive Director of Brilliant Cities, and families and youth champion, Councilmember Dr. Anthony Phillips. From left to right: Lisa Weinberger, Shelly Kessler, Cindy Eggleton, Sarah Lytle, Heidi Segall Levy, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Coucilmember Phillips.

Live and Learn Presents at a Children & Youth Initiatives Briefing in Philadelphia

At the end of October, we had the honor of sharing our pilot program at a special City Hall session hosted by Councilmember Dr. Anthony A. Phillips. Councilmembers, staff, and supporters of children and youth initiatives gathered in a playfully decorated Caucus Room for a lively “lunch and learn.”

We were proud to demonstrate how affordable housing can serve as a foundation for learning-rich communities, and to make a compelling case for scaling this model city and nationwide. The response was energizing, with audience members offering enthusiastic support for this transformative approach. We were also delighted to present alongside our partners at Brilliant Cities, who share our vision for building healthy, thriving neighborhoods.

Our speaker lineup brought a rich range of perspectives to the conversation, including:

• Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD – Professor of Psychology, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Founder, Playful Learning Landscapes

• Shawn McCaney – Executive Director, William Penn Foundation

• David La Fontaine – Executive Director, Community Ventures

• Winfield Thomas – Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition 

• Sarah Lytle, PhD – Executive Director, Playful Learning Landscapes

  
  

Together, these voices helped illuminate the deep value of our work and the promise it holds for children and families in Philadelphia and communities across the country.

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Play it Forward: Live and Learn Participates in the First-Ever National Conference on Playful Learning

Conference participant explores Live and Learn's "Story Table" created for the community room in Sharswood.

In October, Playful Learning Landscapes hosted its first-ever National Conference on Playful Learning, bringing together over 100 participants from across the country to explore actionable strategies for expanding Playful Learning environments in communities everywhere. Live and Learn was honored to join 26 inspiring presenters who are helping shape the future of learning in public spaces.

Our session, “Designing for Equity: Playful Learning in Affordable Housing,” introduced attendees to the genesis of Live and Learn and demonstrated how affordable housing can become a foundation for learning-rich, community-centered experiences. The panel featured multiple perspectives:

• Pennrose, represented by Lindsey Samsi, shared the developer’s role in embedding Playful Learning into its large-scale housing project.

• WRT, with Lizzie Rothwell, offered an architectural view of shaping inclusive public spaces, including the design of our Sharswood installations.

• Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition, represented by Winfield Thomas, a community member and leader, highlighted lived experience and neighborhood impact.

• The session was facilitated by Heidi Segall Levy of Watchdog, who guided a rich discussion on equity-centered implementation.

The following day, we had the pleasure of leading a guided tour, “Playful Learning Comes to Life in Philadelphia,” showcasing our Sharswood installations. Conference participants experienced the impact of these environments firsthand as they ran through Run the Road and explored The Backyard. The tour offered a chance to connect theory with practice, demonstrating how thoughtfully designed public spaces can spark joy, curiosity, and community connection.

We left the conference energized by the momentum building across the country and proud to share how Live and Learn is helping expand the possibilities of Playful Learning in affordable housing and beyond.