Coastal Inclusion

Overview:

Should every child have the opportunity to play with their friends on the playground? Should every community have an inclusive, public space to gather?

These are questions we answer with a resounding “YES!”

West Sechelt Elementary School (WSES) Playground Enhancement Committee was started by a parent group who want to build an inclusive playground that would benefit our whole community. Our vision is to create a fun, safe and truly inclusive playground. We want to build a place where children of all abilities are welcome. We want to build a place where memories and friendships can be created.

Sechelt is a small coastal community (pop.9,000) located on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Our school of 200 students is located in West Sechelt, a residential area that has undergone significant changes over the past 10 years. Many new subdivisions and housing developments have been built and are ongoing; it is the largest neighbourhood in Sechelt and represents the major growth area for the foreseeable future. The closest playground for children of all ages is almost 8 km away. As the Official Community Plan states, “there is no major community park providing a central focal point for this area”. In the long-term, the District projects West Sechelt will have up to 10,000 residents. Providing quality, inclusive public parks is essential for this rapidly growing, family-oriented community.

Our playground is inaccessible for our students with disabilities and others in the community with similar mobility issues. We want to make our playground inclusive and inviting for children of all abilities. Playground activity and the friendships that can blossom there are important facets of the school experience that every child should enjoy.

There are no truly inclusive playgrounds in Sechelt. A family at our school travels 30 minutes (28 km) to find a playground that their child can navigate. Inclusive playgrounds draw children who have mobility issues; we can expect a segment of the population to travel to our site once word of its accessibility spreads throughout the Sunshine Coast. Our project will also support our community’s numerous family daycares, preschool programs and the after-school care program at our school.

Our playground is outdated and in disrepair. It has monkey bars that children younger than age eight can’t reach, a small play centre with badly worn tactile learning walls and a slide. The equipment sits on a sloped, loose gravel foundation that mobility-challenged students and community members can’t access or maneuver. Also, on school property there is a slight drop off, a place the kids call “the ditch‟ as it fills with mud in the rainy months. The playground is so unappealing to the vast majority of our students that they would rather hang out in the ditch or play in the dirt. By upgrading our playground, we aim to make it a centre point of our school and community, an activity hub that will entice kids to play together in a location that is inclusive to everyone.

We have a clear plan for our project. The playground will have three sites, each designed for specific age groups. We will build on to our existing equipment to lower project cost. To ensure our playground is inclusive to all abilities, a foundation of recycled rubber tire under a no-maintenance synthetic grass cover will be installed. A level concrete path from the school will ensure smooth, independent travel to the playground. The estimated cost is $150,000.

Our project meets all of the Sunshine Coast Early Childhood Development Strategic Plan objectives by creating a welcoming environment that supports healthy, active living for children and families of all abilities. It also provides a much needed gathering space for children and parents to meet, play and develop friendships. BC’s mild winter allows our playground to be in use virtually year-round. Our project creates an inclusive place for children of all abilities to play; it is affordable for everyone and does not discriminate.

Our community supports our plan. We held a very successful fundraiser, and have commitments from local companies for donations of: fill and labour to level the ground; landscaping and concrete services to create a pathway surrounding the playground site. Several events are planned for the upcoming year, funds raised from our school’s hot lunch program have been allocated to our cause. This is a real community effort.

We recognize that our dream is a big one and our task considerable but it is small in comparison to the challenges children with disabilities face each day. With help from the Aviva Community Fund we can make it a reality, not only for our school but for the children and families in our community who will enjoy this space for many years. Let’s build a place where children of all abilities are welcome. Let’s build a place where memories and friendships can be created. Please help us create our community’s very own, truly inclusive playground.