Countryside Elementary Playground 2023

THANK YOU COUNTRYSIDE COMMUNITY! 

Thanks to our generous donors since 2018, we have finally hit our goals for the Countryside playground! More information will be posted soon - stay tuned! 

------------------------- 

OUR PROJECT GOAL
Our financial goal of $370,000 breaks down into two main components:

- $350,000:  Large playground structure and surrounding peripheral playground equipment (Funded! Thank you!) 

- $20,000*: Remaining Pour in Place (PIP) surface area that extends to additional accessible playground equipment (Funded! Thank you!) 

*We have several students that have live with paralysis and require extra mobility support. This PIP allows family members, caregivers, staff and the community to easily access 2 additional accessible play elements within the playground, creating and encouraging a more inclusive environment. 

To visualize what this looks like, please see the following layout. The green shaded area will be funded by the district. The blue area is the additional PIP area that is yet to be funded, yet provides another extension of play.

This extension not only brings students and caregivers into the playground action, it also encourages play on the following playground equipment - the Reflex and Ten Spin

Background Information: 

Our current upper playground is over 30 years-old and it shows. Our equipment has been well-loved by our children over the years. Equipment that was once cutting edge is now outdated. What was wheelchair friendly at the time is now the absolute bare minimum in accessibility standards. The sun has faded pieces, mirrors and windows are now scratched, paint is chipped, pieces are rusted. Many items are rendered useless and are no longer being supported by the manufacturer leaving us no choice but to remove the failed equipment without replacement.

Our goal is to create a new playground designed for kids of ALL abilities, that is not exclusive to mobility level, and that inspires healthy movement, creativity and builds relationships within the school and broader community.

The playground will be completely replaced with a new large structure with equipment that is meant for kids of all ages and is not exclusive to mobility level.

New swings, new stand alone pieces and several ninja warrior type elements will wrap around the large structure. To upgrade from wood chips to a pour in surface for a portion of the playground area, the estimated cost is $20,000 and the PTO has included this within the overall budget goal. 

The Process Of Our Design:

Our Playground Committee, comprised of parents, staff, Kid's Club representatives, and Building Maintenance representatives have been meeting since 2018 to decide on a playground design and vendor. We also coordinated with the district building department, engineers, and received input from students. After two years of researching and meetings, we finally selected our vendor to design a playground based on the following requirements:

-Emphasis on ADA inclusivity and accessibility
-Allow for multiple age participants (Kindergarten through 5th grade)
-Identify opportunities to retain or repurpose current usable equipment

When we started this project, the intention was to have 2 refreshed playgrounds. However what will best fit the school needs with all of the upcoming building and programming changes is just one single playground for the Countryside Elementary community to use and the district to manage for years to come. Unfortunately the PTO cannot take out a loan for this project therefore we need to have all the funding upfront, which may affect the design. 

 

Last But Not Least, Thank You!

The Countryside Elementary PTO has been able to raise this necessary funding thanks to our generous donors, Countryside community, Playground Committee, and past PTO volunteers. We are so grateful for the time, energy, and financial donations to get us where we are today. We can't wait to see the Countryside community playing on this playground!

We will continue to update the community as plans progress.