Massachusetts playground ranked among 10 best in country for inclusivity
CONCORD - The private playground at The Guild School for Human Services in Concord, Massachusetts is ranked as one of the ten best in the country for inclusivity.
The Guild School playground
The small space is making a big impact on those with special needs. Every detail matters here, starting with the seating. The benches are lower and more secure than most seats, so someone can roll up or sit with small child.
Amy Sousa, the CEO of the Guild School, showed WBZ-TV what makes the playground so unique. There's a slide that's big enough for two adults to go down together. That way, a parent or a caregiver can slide down with their child at the same time.
The private special education school works with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. They built the playground in 2018 with plenty of input.
"We had occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physical therapists, teachers, parents, students, everybody came together to think about all the different kinds of needs that would be met by this playground," Sousa said.
"Everyone flocked to it"
"Everyone flocked to it, day one. Everybody wanted to be here, go on the swings, the slides," Guild teacher Kevin Jean told WBZ. "Before the playground was here it was just strictly just trees and just an open space. A lot of our students really didn't have access to the space, so we just essentially used the basketball hoop."
"It felt like the kids were a little bored," student Austin Wildes said, calling the playground a huge improvement.
The playground isn't that big. It's just 6,400 square feet. But it is getting big-time credit for being one of the best in the country for inclusion by a school and health care staffing company.
It's a unique model that's catching on and that is the real win.
"We are excited people are coming to see our space and looking at replicating it and thinking about diversity and play in a different way than they did before," Sousa said.
