Self Made Education
Consulting Approach
I work at the intersection of creativity, literacy, and community, sometimes a Venn diagram in person best illustrates it! Through art, stories, and play, I help educational organizations and nonprofits create meaningful, play-responsive learning environments that center autonomy, discovery, and connection.
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As a certified playworker with Rooted in Play, I lead Play Clubs, immersive play experiences, and pop-up play events that encourage child-led exploration. I recently joined our specialized team supporting a Spring Break Camp for players with diverse exceptionalities, deepening my commitment to making play accessible to all children. Playwork is my passion and priority, and my goal is to grow this work into a full-time role.
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For over a decade, I’ve been immersed in creative and literacy programming throughout the Greater Tampa area, collaborating with organizations like Children’s Home Society, Creative Pinellas, You Good?, SpaceCraft, NOMAD Art Bus, Cultured Books, libraries, and schools. In my work with Children’s Home Society, I connect communities to culturally compassionate literacy services, helping families build lasting relationships with books and storytelling.
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As a consultant, I help organizations reimagine learning through play-responsive approaches, drawing inspiration from original learning foundations rather than conventional play-based models. My work prioritizes open-ended, child-led experiences that foster curiosity, meaning-making, and deep engagement—rather than structured play for predetermined outcomes. Whether in libraries, schools, skate parks, theaters, or playgrounds, I help communities create spaces where play is a process of exploration, connection, and lifelong learning.
Research-informed. Community-centered. Creativity-driven.
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Research-informed. Community-centered. Creativity-driven. *
Leadership & Research Foundation
Organizations partner with Ray Grace to center community voice within structured systems and actionable research. Her work produces funding-ready impact reports, clear data narratives, and findings visualizations that support long-term, community-defined outcomes.
Ray brings advanced research expertise alongside more than a decade of hands-on experience across public institutions, youth development initiatives, and arts-based organizations. She integrates systems thinking with practical implementation, ensuring initiatives are measurable, sustainable, and responsive to community priorities.
Research-Informed Educational Consulting & Community Program Design
Self Made Education is a research-informed consulting practice advancing creativity, community voice, and equity through thoughtful program design and evaluation. We support nonprofits, municipalities, public institutions, libraries, and schools in building systems that are developmentally sound, culturally responsive, and accountable to the communities they serve.
Core Services
Program & Curriculum Design
Art-integrated and play-responsive program models tailored to institutional goals.
Strategic Consulting
Alignment of research, philosophy, and operational practice across youth services and community programming.
Program Evaluation & Refinement
Assessment and improvement of initiatives to strengthen accessibility, developmental alignment, and measurable impact.
Professional Development
Training that translates research into practical, community-responsive implementation.
Current and Past Clients:
Cultured Books Literacy Foundation | NOMAD Art Bus | Justice Studio at JDC Pinellas | Creative Pinellas | St. Petersburg Libraries | Academy Prep Center for Education | Dream Books | You Good? Mental Health | Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Services | Barbershop Book Club | Thrive by Five | Children’s Home Society of Florida | Gulfport Public Library | WonderWorks | Rooted in Play | Glazers Children’s Museum
Let’s Connect!
If you’re looking to incorporate play into your organization, explore creative literacy initiatives, develop research projects, or just chat about the power of play, I’d love to connect!