KaBOOM! Playscape Project

Paul Robeson Academy

About the Project

Paul Robeson Academy and Focus: HOPE are partnering with KaBOOM! to bring a new playscape to the Paul Robeson Academy campus. The school’s current playground is outdated—it’s estimated to have been built in the 1960’s—and much of its metal equipment is in disrepair. With funding from the Knight Foundation and support from Focus: HOPE and KaBOOM!, the school community will design its own playground especially for local children that will inspire and allow them to enjoy more play outdoors.

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that works with local partners to design, fund, and build playscapes in communities across the country. KaBOOM!’s goal is to create fun, safe, and accessible playscapes “within walking distance of every child in America” through community empowerment. It follows a model that gives communities—especially parents and children—control of the design and build processes.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers, focusing on projects that promote informed, engaged communities, and which lead to transformational change.

The Design Process

Community involvement is a key part of the design process. The most important community input occurs on Design Day. Our Design Day takes place on May 26, 2010 and involves both children and their parents in the design of the playscape.   After Design Day, the KaBOOM! Project Manager submits the community’s wishlist to designers at Playworld Systems, Inc. who will develop three different playscape designs. The final design will be selected by the community.

The Building Process

The project culminates in Build Day, a big “barn-raising” event that brings the community together to assemble the children’s playscape. During the design process, the community forms a Planning Committee comprising parents and other community members that chair and prepare different elements of Build Day. Committee members will recruit and organize volunteers, develop ways for children to participate in the project, prepare the site and gather necessary tools, plan food and music, coordinate logistics, publicize the event, and ensure the safety of everyone involved in the build. Our Build Day takes place on July 24, 2010.

Community Benefits

Declining and disappearing playgrounds have been linked to childhood obesity, behavioral problems, stunted cognitive and creative development, and fragmented communities. By building a better playscape, our community is improving the well-being of its children. It is providing children with a safe place to exercise and play together, allowing them to develop both physically and socially.

The design and build processes also develop leadership and cohesion among members of the community, uniting them towards the successful completion of a common goal. Involvement in playscape design gives parents and children ownership of the final product, and Build Day provides everyone the opportunity to volunteer and take part in a community event. This is an exciting opportunity for the neighborhood, and we’re counting on everyone’s enthusiasm and support to bring our children’s dream playground to life!