The UCF Creative School for Children unveiled a new playground Thursday, September 10. The playground was donated through a grant with KaBoom!, a “play matters” initiative.
What is thought by many to simply be the faux playground building program from the television show Parks and Recreation, is actually “a national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve, filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive” as is said in their mission statement located on their website: http://kaboom.org.
In a partnership with Dr. Pepper, Snapple and the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) under which the Creative School is accredited, KaBoom! donated an Imagination Playground through a grant program that the school applied for at the beginning of 2015.
Amy Hesse, Director, explained the process, “We applied for a grant at the beginning of this year and we’re accredited by the NAEYC. They partnered with KaBoom! and offered an Imagination Playground set. Then they provided play facilitation training for all of our staff. We were one of ten in the country to be awarded the grant.”
Through the professional development opportunities for teachers and childcare professionals, the staff of the Creative School has been specialized in Play Associate training and has access to additional parts should any parts of the Imagination Playground become damaged.
The Creative School is an educational research center for child development on campus that provides preschool and early learning experiences for zero to five-year-olds. Their primary purpose is to serve the student population. Once the student requests have been filled, they serve faculty, staff and alumni. If there are any spaces left, they open their doors to the community. Typically, however, there are no available spots for the surrounding community. They are currently at capacity with a waiting list.
The Imagination Playground set has been evaluated to be worth approximately $13,000 according to Amy Hesse. She said, “We have seven classrooms and all seven classrooms will be able to utilize the Imagination Playground. Certainly the goal is for physical activity, less screen-time, addressing physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.”
A KaBoom! staff member described the Imagination Playground as “a play area that provides an innovative play opportunity that can be activated anywhere and anytime. It allows young kids to develop strong skills in communication and collaboration. It also provides an opportunity for them to be physically challenged in a safe environment.”
KaBoom! has offered Imagination Playground sessions at schools, community centers, museums, public parks, street fairs, and even office settings. They also offer grant programs much like the one offered to the Creative School for Children for the Imagination Playground or others that include a more structured play setting.
Parents and students alike are excited for the opportunity that the KaBoom! partnership will bring. The Imagination Playground has proven in other areas to be very effective in bringing together students of different ages and to promote non-traditional education in an environment children find comforting.
