Coventry Hills School Playground Revitalization

Currently, the Coventry Hills Elementary Fundraising Society (CHEFS), working in partnership with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE), School Council, and Outdoor Space Committee, is leading a major initiative to replace the existing school playground with a new, inclusive design. This revitalized space will not only benefit students, but will also serve the wider community as a welcoming, accessible place to play, connect.

The current playground, which will be unusable in 2027 due to safety protocols, has limited capacity and barriers to inclusion. Our vision is to create a safe, engaging, and accessible outdoor space that encourages side-by-side play among children of all abilities eliminating discrimination and promoting cooperative interaction. The inclusive design will meet the physical, sensory, and emotional needs of children with mobility challenges, sensory processing disorders, and other diverse abilities. Through thoughtful, universal design, we are creating a space where every child feels seen, welcomed, and empowered to play.

Due to current research, it was important to add elements for “risky play”. As such, an Agility Wall and Breakaways have been incorporated into the playground design. The Canadian Paediatric Society published an article summarizing the benefits of risky play (2024). “Risky play [supports] engagement in physical activities for life… Increasing risk and challenges in school playgrounds can be positive for children’s mental health… Children engaging in risky play will increase their socio-emotional skills and sense of belonging. Also, the ability to communicate, cooperate, and compromise with others improves in situations where children can test and push their own limits… Children with disabilities can benefit from engaging in risky play… Encouraging children with a disability to engage in manageable risk-taking can promote autonomy and self-responsibility, and reduce social exclusion.”

The challenge of the Agility Wall and Breakaways will specifically appeal to older children, children with ADHD, and those with proprioception-seeking sensory behaviours, without being exclusionary to younger children or those with limitations who can continually work to get higher on the wall. With the high contrast colours subset into the rubber surfacing, as well as the brightly coloured framing, children with visual impairments will be able to safely push their limits of play.

This inclusive playground will be the first of its kind within walking distance for most Coventry Hills residents, offering critical infrastructure that fills an identified gap in barrier-free outdoor recreation. While located on Coventry Hills Elementary School grounds, the playground is open to the general public and will benefit children and families from Coventry Hills and neighbouring Northern Hills communities including Panorama Hills, Country Hills, and Harvest Hills.

Coventry Hills is home to 17,350 people as of 2021 with 22% of the population being 0-14 years of age, or 3,875 children. 7% of these children live in low-income homes. Coventry Hills is one of four communities making up the Northern Hills Communities, including Panorama Hills, Country Hills, and Harvest Hills. Among these four communities, over 1,000 children aged 0-17 are considered to be in "private households to whom low-income concepts are applicable", according to the City of Calgary's Community Profiles (2024). 

Also according to these community profiles (2024), Coventry Hills has a statistically higher percentage of Indigenous families, immigrant families, visible minorities, and non-English speakers, compared to the general population of Calgary. 4.3% of families in Coventry Hills hold an Indigenous identity, compared to 3.2% across the city. Our community has a proportionately higher number of immigrant families, 37%, over Calgary’s 33%, specifically first-generation immigrants. More than half our population consider themselves to be visible minorities. 27% of households in Coventry Hills speak a language other than English most often at home, with 3.2% having no knowledge of English or French.

Access to inclusive, free-of-charge, public-use recreational space plays a key role in addressing these disparities and supports social inclusion, physical and mental wellness, and early childhood development.