‘Every student has that opportunity to grow and develop’ on new inclusive playgrounds
Bellingham Public Schools is moving forward with plans to make its outdoor spaces accessible to all with the opening of two new inclusive playgrounds.
Parkview and Alderwood are the first of the district’s schools to have inclusive playgrounds built on-site. Both Parkview and Alderwood elementary schools were rebuilt using funds from a bond passed in 2018, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
The elementary schools needed to be replaced to allow for more students and because they didn’t meet the standards for energy efficiency or technology, The Herald previously reported. Both schools opened in fall 2021.
The inclusive playgrounds at Parkview and Alderwood opened in January and February of this year, respectively, according to the school district.
“Whether it is the sensory needs of a child, the physical, either gross motor or fine motor needs of a child, it is just as important for them as it is for them to learn reading, writing and math. So it is just as important for all students to be included in that social play-based experience and it is just as valuable and a very rich learning environment,” said Mylo Allen, principal at Parkview Elementary School.
“Thinking about the playground just like any other classroom, they’re learning just as much out there. It’s not curriculum-based, but it is play-based. So if we’re saying our playground doesn’t meet the needs of all kids, then there are going to be kids who are missing out on that experience and they’re going to be missing out on that growth and development. So that’s why it’s important — so every student has that opportunity to grow and develop in the same way.”
Inclusive playgrounds
Bellingham Public Schools created a district-wide playground advisory committee in spring 2021 to develop guidelines for choosing playground equipment and surfacing.
Allen, who was part of the committee, said the group looked at how the school district could create play spaces for students, regardless of their mobility, physical or sensory abilities or their age. The goal was to design a space that was accessible for all kids, Allen said.
The advisory committee’s recommendations, which were passed on to Bellingham Public Schools Superintendent Greg Baker in December 2021, now form the basis of how the school district plans to approach building or rebuilding all of its playgrounds.
Each new playground that is built or expanded will be guided by universal design, which is a term that means an environment is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible without the need for adaptation or specialized design, according to resources on the district’s website.
Allen said that when designing Parkview’s new inclusive playground, the committee looked at things like surfaces. In the past, playgrounds have had gravel or wood chips, but for a student who uses a wheelchair or who has other mobility issues, the entire playground becomes a space they can’t access, Allen said.
When looking at other playground equipment, such as spinners and swings, Allen said the playground advisory committee held discussions on which equipment was possible to include in the schools’ designs and of that specific equipment, which were the most inclusive. The committee wanted to be sure that students of all abilities and needs could interact and engage with all of the playgrounds’ equipment. Allen said at Parkview there are different types of needs that are met through each one of the playground’s pieces of equipment.
Allen said another part of the inclusivity of design at Parkview and Alderwood was looking at how the play space grows as the students grow. Because of the wide age range of students at elementary schools, the playgrounds have to be designed in a way that allows kids from kindergarten through fifth grade to engage and challenge themselves, Allen said.
Parkview has around 375 enrolled students from ages 4 to 12. The school has classrooms for kindergarten through fifth grade, as well as a Promise K classroom, which is an early childhood learning and education program.
Allen said Parkview and Alderwood are neighborhood schools embedded within the community. So while the inclusive playgrounds were built for the elementary school students, they were also built for the surrounding community, he said.
“When we think about play spaces, it’s a very important part of every kid’s experience at elementary school. Some of our playgrounds historically have not met every kid’s need. So as we design these new spaces, we are actually able to meet more and more students’ needs by designing them in an inclusive way,” Allen said.
Benefits to kids
Inclusive playgrounds, such as those at Parkview and Alderwood, allow for more opportunities for all students, said Debbie Haney, assistant director of Early Learning and Family Engagement with Bellingham Public Schools.
The playground is where children practice their social skills and learn to play together and share. By having a space that’s inclusive for all kids, every student is able to be near their peers and get the learning and developmental benefits provided by a playground, Haney said.
“As a school playground, we want all children to be able to access their school and part of their school is their playground. … We want all children to have the same opportunities,” Haney said. “The whole child is important, so when we recognize that some children may not be able to access our playgrounds, we’re now able to have that opportunity for them. … We’re here for all kids and all kids should be able to access everything that we have in our schools.”
The Promise K preschool students have their own separate playground specific to their age range outside of the classroom, said Jennifer Vivanco, Promise Kindergarten teacher at Parkview Elementary. Like the larger playgrounds at Parkview and Alderwood, the preschool playgrounds have something for every kid to do while on the playground. Vivanco said because there’s a variety of abilities in her students, the playgrounds were designed in a way that allows everybody to access the outside space and be able to play. She said no student has to sit out because it’s too challenging.
Vivanco said it’s important for students to have time during the day where they get to be free and play in the fresh air. She said it makes a big difference in her class when her students have outside time earlier in the day versus later in the day.
Haney, the early learning assistant director, said children work on all areas of their development when they access playgrounds and that the outside activity helps their brains learn. For some children and families, being on the playground at school is the only time they have the opportunity to be outside and move their bodies, she said.
A bond passed in 2022 includes money for additional inclusive playgrounds across the school district. Sunnyland Elementary School, which is expected to open in September 2022, will also have an inclusive playground, according to the district.
“These playgrounds are a financial investment that the City of Bellingham and people who live within Bellingham have supported now twice through passing bonds. My observation is that it is money well spent. It is a value-add for our community to have more and more play spaces that are accessible for all people,” Allen, Parkview’s principal, said. “It feels like a missed opportunity if we have spaces that are only really designed for certain people.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
