Slate Creek Elementary School in Newton is home to the severely multiply disabled (SMD) classroom for the entire Harvey County Special Education Cooperative. SMD students from the cities of Newton, Hesston, and Halstead attend school here from kindergarten through 6th grade. Many of Slate Creek’s SMD students use mobility devices, such as wheelchairs and walkers, and the school’s playground offered them no opportunity to be included in outdoor play with their peers.
This project first began in 2021 when a group of students noticed the problem and began looking for ways to include their friends on the playground. Principal Tenae Alfaro brought a fundraising challenge to the rest of the students and staff – without any promise of trinkets or prizes, the students raised over $20,000, just because they knew ALL kids should be able to play together.
In 2023, parent volunteers Joanna Bjerum, Erin McDaniel, and Sara Rickard from Slate Creek’s PTO, and USD 373 Communications Director Carly Stavola joined Tenae to ramp up the fundraising campaign. We partnered with Newton Community Foundation an affiliate of Central Kansas Community Foundation and established the All Together Now fund to receive donations and grant funding. We then added community representative Chris Conrade, president of Conrade Insurance, to the team, and he connected us with Cunningham Recreation, one of the nation’s leading park, recreation, and playground equipment suppliers.
As we told our story, generous donations started rolling in from amazing organizations like Northview Developmental Services Endowment Foundation, Asbury Park Foundation, Sunderland Foundation, Patterson Family Foundation, NMC Health, Bunting, and many more. The outpouring of support was remarkable.
This generosity allowed us to dream even bigger and pursue a larger playground designed around the 7 Principles of Inclusive Play. It will be the only National Demonstration Site inclusive playground in the entire region. These evidence-based principles move beyond minimum accessibility guidelines to make every aspect of the playground usable for all children to the greatest extent possible. It will include smooth, spongy surfacing to ensure accessibility, ramps to play decks to accommodate mobility devices and those with climbing difficulties, adequate shading to keep people out playing longer, communication panels, cozy spots that help those quick to become overwhelmed or on the Autism spectrum, sensory-rich equipment that will benefit all children’s development, and equipment designed for children of all abilities.
When school is not in session, the playground will be open to the whole community. This playground will open up outdoor play not only for children with mobility differences, but also for parents, grandparents and caregivers. We anticipate it will quickly become a destination play space, attracting people from all over the region.
Having the opportunity to be included regardless of ability is a huge social and quality-of-life issue for children who have differing mobility needs. Numerous researchers have found play is a critical part of child development and is integral to the school environment for both social- emotional and academic development.
Commitment to these principles is what helped our small but dedicated group to raise $700,000 in 2023, and our playground is now under construction. We have all envisioned what our opening day will look like in August 2024.
From our first humble school fundraiser, with kids bringing in their own piggy banks, to our final major donations, this project has been a labor of love. To our supporters, cheerleaders and generous donors, we can’t thank you enough. You have helped us build something magical – a place where ALL children can play together. Caring for one another and striving for equal access to play and inclusion have driven this campaign, whose foundation was laid by the 5- to 10-year-olds of Slate Creek.
