The Westlock Child Care Society is in the process of installing a new "outdoor learning environment" for children at the daycare as part of the new curriculum framework that saw the daycare adopt the province's $25-a-day daycare program.
"Families have been really supportive of the changes that we've made indoors, and we're hoping they'll soon be able to see the value of the experiences we'll soon give them outdoors," said the society's inclusive program co-ordinator Wanda Bertelsen.
It's more than a playground; it's an outdoor learning environment, she said.
"There's new terminology that comes along with the new curriculum," she said.
Westlock was chosen as one of the initial sites for the Alberta government's $25-a-day daycare pilot project and the society has been working to implement the new curriculum framework from the government, which includes a number of improvements to the daycare facility, including its outdoor play area.
"Some of the concepts include creating an environment that is rich in learning opportunities with a big emphasis on the children's learning through nature experiences," said Bertelsen.
"We started by looking at our indoor environment, and we thought if we're making changes to our indoor environment we also need to be making changes to our outdoor environment."
With the help of a Community Facility Enhancement Program grant for $11,453, which the society matched through a fundraising campaign, Phase 1 of the project is now underway.
Phase 1 involves the south area of the daycare's play space, which includes removing the existing equipment and replacing it with a slide that is actually embedded into the hill.
Bertelsen pointed out that normal slides account for the second most number of injuries on a playground, and having the slide built right into the hill will alleviate that risk. It also allows children who wouldn't normally climb the stairs of a slide to take part in the fun.
There's a lot more to it than just a single slide though, said Bertelsen.
"We're adding more creative play and quiet spaces, music, art, water play and all those sorts of things, which is not what you would find in a traditional playground," she said.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The society is asking parents to be mindful of their children when using the daycare play area after hours.
Bertelsen said there are fences up, but they have already run into issues with people going into areas they're not supposed to be in.
"We don't want anybody to be hurt and we don't want the work that's being done to be hampered by them doing anything after hours to it. So we ask that people respect the safety fences and then once it's done to come down and see it," said Bertelsen.
The society is also hoping the community will come forward with donations for the new outdoor learning environment. It is currently accepting tires, planters, PVC pipe, steering wheels, wind chimes, bird feeders and old pots and pans. All of these will add significantly to the children's play experience, she said.
