Over the past several months, Las Cumbres has constructed two new playgrounds – one at our Conjunto Therapeutic Preschool in Española, and one for the general public at our 1060 Nugget St. location in Los Alamos.
Conjunto
While children at Conjunto have long enjoyed our playground structures, Las Cumbres staff recently concluded that the playground needed an update.
Conjunto Program Manager Johnna Aguino partnered with Las Cumbres’ Executive Leadership Team to design a safer, more durable, and more inclusive playground environment for all children. The new layout allows our students with disabilities to easily access the slides and climbing structures. The stairs and railing are also safer, enabling all children to use the equipment independently. Teachers are also able to climb the structures, facilitating better supervision. The new structures even save money on maintenance costs! (Our older structures were made from wood and required significant weatherizing each year.)
So far, the new playground is a big hit with our children – especially now that we’ve doubled the number of slides! Each structure also offers more activities, including letter/number recognition, pretend rock climbing, and a “bubble window.”
Los Alamos
Las Cumbres is also on the verge of inaugurating a second playground at our Los Alamos office (1060 Nugget St.). This playground is intended for the community as a whole – especially families with special needs and/or sensory concerns. In fact, families raising special needs children were an integral part of the design process!
The Los Alamos playground was completed in late February. “We were very conscientious when designing the playground to make it inclusive for children with sensory issues. The playground is fenced, which can also give parents a little more peace of mind if their children are natural explorers,” says Abbie Nelson, Office Manager of the Las Cumbres Los Alamos Office.
So far, the playground has been well-received by the community. Las Cumbres is currently at work on site clean-up and will hosting a “Grand Opening” on the afternoon of May 12, from 2:00-5:00 PM. Details will be available on the Las Cumbres calendar.
Funding
To finance construction at the two sites, Las Cumbres used a combination of revenues. Approximately half the costs at both sites were covered by Medicaid Provider Relief dollars from the federal Health Resources & Services Administration. At Conjunto, we used funds from Las Cumbres’ Safety and Stability Fund, as well as a Sustainability Grant from the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. At Los Alamos, we used funds from a contract with Los Alamos County. On behalf of the children and families we serve, we are grateful to each of these funders!