Play for Everyone: Wildwood School Playground Renewal

Wildwood School’s playground has served generations of children for nearly three decades and is now at the end of its safe lifespan. The school was advised by the Calgary Board of Education in 2023 that the structure must be replaced within the next two to three years.  We are working to not only replace the existing playground, but create a safe, modern, inclusive space featuring carefully selected accessible equipment, ramps, and accessible routes. The goal is to ensure that children of different abilities can participate in play alongside their peers, developing physical skills, confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging.  Construction is planned for the summer of 2027.

Wildwood School serves approximately 520 students each year. We are proudly home to three specialized education classes, which serve students with a range of physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, learning differences, and sensory needs. The outdated design, pea-gravel surface, and uneven terrain of the current structure create accessibility barriers for children who use wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids.

The playground is part of the school’s daily learning environment, providing opportunities for physical activity, outdoor play, social connection, and emotional regulation. The school is at risk of losing this vital recreational space that children rely on throughout the year. 

We are seeking Field Law Community Fund support for a defined portion of this larger replacement project: the purchase and installation of inclusive and accessible playground equipment and features. This investment will help address an immediate community infrastructure need while creating lasting benefits for generations of children.

The project will directly benefit over 500 students each year for decades to come, as well as hundreds of other local families.  Students come to Wildwood School from the neighbourhoods of Wildwood, Westgate, Rosscarrock, Spruce Cliff, Shaganappi, Connaught, and Calgary’s downtown core. We are proud to welcome students from over 45 birth countries and have over 50 first languages spoken in our hallways.  Located alongside the Wildwood Community Centre and next to playing fields, the playground is a shared community asset, not simply a school amenity. The playground is heavily used outside of school hours by the wider community and is a cherished space to let kids have unstructured outdoor play time. 

This playground is essential to our children’s health and development. Regular active play helps children build physical strength, balance, coordination, and motor skills while establishing healthy movement habits that can last a lifetime. Because the playground is part of the school day, children have access to free, daily physical activity without requiring families to register for programs, pay fees, or arrange transportation.

Playgrounds also support cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through unstructured play, children practise creativity, flexible thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution. They develop confidence, independence, empathy, resilience, and emotional-regulation skills while building friendships and learning to navigate social situations. These experiences help children develop the foundational skills they need to learn, participate, and thrive.

The replacement playground is particularly important for children who face barriers to participation. Inclusive equipment and improved accessibility will create more opportunities for children of different abilities to play alongside their peers, supporting dignity, independence, belonging, and social connection. For students who benefit from movement and sensory experiences to support regulation and readiness to learn, the playground is also an important part of their school environment.