New fully-inclusive playground at Camerado Springs

00:00 AM - July 25, 2019

Jenny Pettit, Director, EDCOE Child Development Programs, with students at ribbon cutting ceremony.

Parents, teachers and students were all smiles at a recent playground ribbon cutting at the El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) Head Start/State Preschool and Special Services program site located at Camerado Springs Middle School (CSMS). The CSMS Head Start/State Preschool site houses a full-inclusion preschool classroom that provides services to children with special needs as well as children in general education. A fully-inclusive playground was needed to accommodate this classroom, and project planning began in April 2019.

Laura Jensen, Program Coordinator at EDCOE Child Development Programs, coordinated the planning of the project along with Kathy Daniels, EDCOE Facilities Director. The project’s goal was to complete the new playground during Summer Break. However, the opportunity arose for project vendor - Creative Recreational Systems - to complete it during Spring Break.

The playground is fully accessible to children with varied disabilities and features fully accessible ramps and walkways. All large equipment and swings are wheelchair accessible with wide sidewalks and correct pitch, utilizing a poured-in-place rubberized product for wheelchair accessibility and safety.

New fully inclusive playground at Camerado Springs Middle School

“Thank you to the Office of Head Start and EDCOE for making this project happen. It is great that we have a fully-inclusive playground at a site where we serve children with varied disabilities,” expressed Jenny Pettit, Director, EDCOE Child Development Programs. The Head Start/State Preschool program is a publically-funded parent participation program for income-eligible families with children from 3 to 5 years of age, offering an individualized preschool experience in a center-based setting. The Child Development Programs are dedicated to providing quality early education experiences that engage parents in the growth and development of their children to support school readiness and lifelong success.

EDCOE Special Services facilitates a range of special education services to children with exceptional needs. The department offers special day classes, resource specialist programs and numerous itinerant services to meet the individual needs of children with low-incidence disabilities. Students are served on 19 campuses, with an emphasis on age-appropriate settings to allow for maximum integration.

EDCOE Head Start/State Preschool programs re now enrolling. For more information, call (530) 295-2270 or visit edcoe.org 

Back Back