Teachers Raising Money For Special-Needs Playground

PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA — Teachers at Simpson Elementary in Peachtree Corners are raising money for a new playground to make sure that all children get to play.

The school serves a special-education population of 151 kids. Of those, five classes are made up of children between the ages of 3-5. And many of them, due to developmental, physical or intellectual disabilities, can't play on the school's current playground.

A team of teachers and administrators at Simpson got together and obtained space for an appropriate play area, designing it so that all of the school's 3, 4 and 5 year olds — including those in wheelchairs — can use it.

The cost to build the much-needed play space is $55,000.

"The power of play cannot be underestimated," wrote Candy Jones Pratt, who created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the playground. "This new playground will provide a space that promotes social interaction and motor strength through sensory stimulation, a space designed to meet children's needs and a space to help each child grow both mentally and physically."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the GoFundMe project had raised just over $12,000 of its $55,000 goal.

Enhancements in the new play area would include a wheelchair-accessible path with interactive panels along the way. The school's current playground doesn't have a ramp to make it wheelchair accessible at all.

At play time, many special needs student have to sit outside a fence, watching the other children play.

To donate to the Simpson Elementary playground fundraiser, click here.

Photo courtesy GoFundMe