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Parent urges Salem School Committee to repair Early Childhood Center playground
Summary
A parent asked the Salem School Committee for help replacing playground equipment at the district'owned Early Childhood Center, saying the existing play area is minimal and maintained by Parks and Recreation rather than the schools.
Kate Mattern, a parent whose child previously attended the Salem Early Childhood Center, told the Salem School Committee on Jan. 21 that the center's playground is inadequate and asked the district to help find funding or management solutions.
Mattern said the ECC playground serves three- and four-year-old students daily and currently offers only a swing set, a water table without a permanent water source, a short tunnel and a spinning cup designed for older children. "The ECC is doing amazing work, but their playground that serves three- and four-year-old students every day is very bare bones," Mattern said. She added that about 100 children use the playground each day and that the play space is many families' first exposure to Salem Public Schools.
Mattern told the committee Parks and Recreation owns the site and cosigned a Community Preservation Act grant for a shade structure that she expects to be installed soon, but she said Parks and Recreation cannot prioritize further improvements or fund a larger project. She said the current equipment was chosen by a previous principal and that Parks and Recreation manages many properties citywide. Mattern said she founded a parent-teacher association at the ECC to focus on the playground project, met with the superintendent and city departments, wrote the shade-structure grant and solicited local businesses for sponsorships without success.
Members thanked Mattern for her advocacy. One committee member noted the parent's continued involvement even after her child left the ECC and urged continued engagement. Committee members and the superintendent discussed possible next steps, including whether the district could manage the property, whether the district could budget for a small climbing structure and whether a corporate sponsor could fund equipment that could later be relocated if the ECC moved.
Mattern asked the committee for support to find funding and to consider whether the school district could assume management or help underwrite new play equipment. The committee did not take formal action at the meeting but noted the item for follow-up with district staff and city departments.
