Help us Throw some Shade, as we Play to Learn!!

 

Last summer we launched the re-envisioned and renovated playground at the North Syracuse Early Education Program (NSEEP) to serve the program’s 240 students, as well as the larger community in Onondaga County, New York.

 

This inclusive, fully accessible playground was carefully designed around the needs of children with a myriad of developmental disabilities and those of typically developing children. Our students have spent many happy hours at the playground during the school day and many children and their families have enjoyed it  At other times, as it is open to the public.

 

Over the summer, we observed parents with infants in strollers and elderly grandparents out in the hot sun, often cutting short play time for the youngsters when the rays of the sun and heat got too overwhelming. We love our sky-blue days when we can get them in Upstate New York, but we know that comes with a short-term problems and long-term risk. Exposure to UV rays is a risk factor for most skin cancers.

 

The best and safest playgrounds are those that provide areas of shade for sustained longer stretches of play, which protect children from skin-damaging sun exposure and allow use during the hottest days of the year. Shade structures provide protection for teachers and staff members, along with family members watching their children run, learn and frolic.

 

Your donation will help fund the installation of three essential shade structures. These 16-foot long, barrel-vaulted, two-column design, cantilevered shade structures will be angled to block the rays of the sun as it moves across the play area during the hottest part of the day. The cantilever design will allow us to install the structures just off the edge of the poured rubber surface. The surface won’t be disturbed and the children will have no obstacles to free movement and play.

 

So, don’t be afraid to throw shade—the good kind! — by contributing to NSEEP’s Play to Learn Safely in the Shade project.

The Friends of the North Syracuse Early Education program is a grass roots 501(c)3 group made up of parents and community members who support our children's learning needs where federal and state funding fall short. Thank you for your support!