Abbotsford’s Dormick Park Elementary School is set to receive a new playground.
Yesterday, the province announced $5 million in funding for new playgrounds, with 51 schools set to receive new equipment by this September.
This year, 26 schools will receive $90,000 for standard equipment and 25 schools will receive $105,000 for a universally accessible playground.
Dormick Park is among those schools and will receive $90,000 for a new playground.
“I think it might be time for a change,” says Premier @jjhorgan upon announcing funding for new playground equipment for #BC schoolchildren at Quadra Elementary @sd61 #SD61 pic.twitter.com/Vpft8q90BT
— Kristyn Anthony (@kristyn_anthony) May 8, 2018
“I’ve heard from parents that they need relief from fundraising tens of thousands of dollars for playground equipment — that’s a lot of bake sales and bottle drives for today’s busy parents,” said Fleming.
This fund is to help parents, and provide access to communities that don’t have the fundraising capacity to buy the play equipment students need, he added.
Much of the fundraising responsibility in the past has fallen to parent advisory councils, according to the province, and those schools without fundraising capabilities were often left without other options.
Playgrounds will be funded based on those with the greatest need, following an application school districts sent out earlier this year. Priority was given to those schools without a current playground, and then to those with aging facilities.
The province said those districts that did not receive funding this year will receive funding next year if they apply for it.
A complete list of those schools receiving funding can be found here.
ragnar.haagen@bpdigital.ca
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