The new playground is open at the Neighborhood House in Southbridge.

New kid-designed playground opens in Wilmington

Jarek Rutz November 8, 2022Headlines, Education

The new playground is open at the Neighborhood House in Southbridge.

The new playground is open at the Neighborhood House in Southbridge.

A new playground – designed by kids, for kids – is now open in Wilmington.

More than 150 volunteers helped install the playground at the Neighborhood House in Southbridge with designs inspired by drawings and creative ideas that children submitted during a design day in September.

Discover, the Delaware Community Foundation, and the national non-profit “KABOOM!” partnered together to fund and help build the playground at the Neighborhood House.

KABOOM! chief executive officer Lysa Ratliff said that playgrounds are an iconic part of childhood.

“They’re not only where kids collect some of their best memories, but also where crucial skills are developed that nurture their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” she said.

Discover’s partnership with KABOOM! has resulted in 41t playgrounds built across the nation and the three in Delaware.

“Throughout the community of Southbridge, we hear the echo of youth voices of all ages saying, ‘We need a safe place to be included and we need something to do!’ said Alison Windle, executive director of Neighborhood House, Inc.

There are not enough supervised activities in the area or safe places for the youth to be engaged, she added.

She hopes the playground will be utilized by a pre-school classroom, something that Neighborhood House is looking to add this year.

KABOOM! has published a guide to safely reopen playspaces in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for maintaining safety in those areas. The guide can be found here.

Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.

Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.

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