SUNDERLAND — After four years of planning, Sunderland Elementary School’s youngest learners have a new place to grow and play.
The school’s early childhood playground project, which began in the spring of 2018, is ready to host kindergarten and preschool students with a focus on developing kids’ physical and social-emotional skills through traditional playground equipment and integrated planter beds.
“The playground follows a farm-and-field design where we’re paying homage to the farming community that we have here in Sunderland,” explained Principal Ben Barshefsky, noting the planters will “enhance the learning of our early childhood students, whether through planting vegetables or learning about the life cycle.”
Hadley-based Omasta Landscaping broke ground in July and finished the project in September. The final cost of the playground was $318,777 — below the original estimate of $437,000. It was funded by Sunderland’s Community Preservation Act, fundraising efforts and community donations. Barshefsky thanked the town and the community for helping fund the project.
“The businesses in Sunderland and in some of our surrounding communities, they may not have students at the school, but they understand the importance of a good, solid and stable public education,” Barshefsky said. “They’ve helped us out in so many different ways.”
Beyond the planters and traditional playground equipment, it also features a short biking route and smaller obstacles for children to climb on and jump off of. To go along with the bike path, the school also bought Strider Bikes, which are small bicycles for children without training wheels or pedals that Barshefsky said “make the transition to a pedal bike much easier.”
Playgrounds, Barshefsky said, are more than a place for kids to just play during the day. They can complement children’s growth through the development of social and physical skills. Skills they learn in the classroom, like problem solving, can also be bolstered on the playground.
“Play is an integral part of any kid’s early childhood experience. … They develop both fine motor and gross motor skills and grow so much from a social-emotional perspective,” Barshefsky said. “We really look at it as a key part of their school life here in Sunderland and try to integrate as much play into the day for our youngest learners.”
New basketball hoops and swings were also added for the school’s older students. With the new playground complete, Barshefsky said the public is more than welcome to check it out, along with the bike trail running behind the school.