Target and national non-profit KaBOOM! awarded KIPP DC Connect Academy a $15,930 grant to use toward the purchase of an Imagination Playground in a Cart™, an innovative playground equipment system!
KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve through play, is working with Target to increase access to play across the country. Grants for Imagination Playgrounds are helping to achieve that goal by bringing active play to more than 430,000 kids across the country.
Imagination Playground in a Cart™ is an innovative design in play equipment that encourages creativity, communication, and collaboration in play. With a collection of custom-designed, over-sized blue foam parts, Imagination Playground™ provides a changing array of elements that allow children to turn their playground into a space constantly built and re-built by their imagination.
The Imagination Playground™ will be used at KIPP DC Connect Academy, an early childhood school in D.C.’s Ward 5. The playground will enhance students’ critical thinking and foster creativity, helping them build vital 21st-century skills.
“Last year, we took a school trip to the National Building Museum. At the museum, the kids got the opportunity to use the Imagination Playground equipment and couldn’t stop talking about it when we got back to school,” said Connect Academy Principal Donny Tiengtum. “Our staff is so excited to unveil the equipment to the kids this fall!”
Unstructured, child-directed play has proven to help kids develop physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually, yet today’s kids have less time and fewer opportunities to play than any previous generation. The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to help make wellness more affordable, accessible and inspirational for its team members, guests, and communities.
We’re thankful and look forward to the continued partnership with our friends at KaBoom! and Target.
Check out more photos.
