Nonprofit organization Friends of Special Children is raising funds to make improvements to Signal Centers’ Therapeutic Playground for the Arts, which was the first of its kind in the nation when it was built with funds raised by the friends 12 years ago, said the group’s president, Lynn Reese.
The playground serves as a benchmark study for NatureGrounds, a partnership between PlayCore and North Carolina State College of Design’s Natural Learning Initiative to develop best practice guidelines for design that incorporates nature into children’s lives, according to the PlayCore website.
Designed for children of all abilities, the playground features natural landscaping elements, inclusive play structures, a tricycle path, an amphitheater, a covered pavilion, a music and art area, an outdoor sound system and an in-ground slide.
The playground has two parts: the main area for children ages 3-5 and the baby music and art area for children up to 3 years old. Improvements will include a new poured-in-place rubber ground surface for the entire main playground, three large sail-shade canopies, musical instruments, several landscape items and new swings.
Signal Centers serves about 140 children, about 40-50% of whom have a disability, Signal Centers CEO Donna McConnico said.