Province rolls out grants to help pay for playgrounds at new elementary schools

Grant program to help pay for playgrounds The province rolled out a grant program Friday to help pay for playgrounds at new Alberta schools.

The Alberta government has announced plans for a grant program, that will help new elementary schools build playgrounds.

Friday’s announcement is part of a $20 million the government promised to go towards playgrounds in the 2017 budget.

Premier Rachel Notley, and Education Minister David Eggen were on hand for the announcement, made at a school playground in Calgary.

Currently in Alberta, a playground is not a requirement in new school construction, the responsibility to pay for a playground falls on parents or community groups to fundraise – under the grant, new schools that offer Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be eligible for a grant of $250,000.

“This playground initiative supports our youngest students, while reducing the burden of fundraising on their parents, and in so doing, it’s going to help make life better and more affordable for Alberta families,” Notley said.

In Edmonton, there are a total of 16 new schools expected to open this year, five in the Edmonton Catholic School District, and eleven under Edmonton Public Schools.

The grant goes back to new school projects dating back to 2014; about 50 schools in Alberta are eligible for the funding.

“And then the subsequent schools that we announce for elementary in the next four years will also be covered,” Eggen said.

The funding is also available to replacement schools, as long as they offer programming for Kindergarten to Grade 6, and are building on a new site that doesn’t already have a playground.

With files from Amanda Anderson