Shelton Word of Thanks - Inclusive Playground

SUMMARY:  We will celebrate Shelton Elementary's 30th anniversary by breaking ground on a new 'big kid' playground in the summer of 2025! We have raised nearly $150,000 toward the playground improvement project thanks to the generosity of our community, the City of Golden's Thriving Communities Grant and a grant from the Golden Civic Foundation.  With the support of 9 News and Kyle Clark's Word of Thanks Campaign, we hope to enhance our playground design to improve accessibility and build our PlayCore National Demonstration Site that will inspire play, fitness and positively impact our community!  Our builder (Alpine Recreation) has offered a matching discount on all play equipment that is purchased so any money spent on equipment will be matched!

OUR GOAL: To create an inclusive playground for all students and the surrounding community. We will be able to vastly improve the design and play elements with additional funding. Additional funding will allow us to add more sensory elements to our design, more poured surfacing for students with mobility challenges, and additional inclusive play elements that encourage group play. Please consider donating to support our efforts. 

An initial design rendering with ADA approved engineered wood fiber surfacing.

Our current playground which was installed when Shelton was originally built 30 years ago.  Equipment is aging and surface is gravel and inaccessible to children with mobility challenges.

STUDENT LED FUNDRAISING AND DESIGN

All students at Shelton participate in Project-Based Learning (PBL) programs, where students engage with real-world problems to learn grade-level curriculum.

This year, the third-grade students focused on the need for an inclusive playground as their PBL project. They began by researching inclusive playgrounds and features that would benefit all students. To gather input, they developed interview questions and surveyed classmates, school staff, and experts in inclusivity and playground design.

Students used their findings to write persuasive letters to local businesses, seeking financial support to help build an inclusive playground at Shelton Elementary School.

Read more about the third-grade PBL project in this Golden Transcript article: Golden Elementary School New Playground

Visit our Webpage to learn more:

 http://www.sheltonptsa.org/playground-improvement-project.html

Thank you for helping to support our vision!