Ferndale will get its first fully inclusive playground next year.
Last week, Whatcom County awarded Ferndale School District $700,000 to build the playground — which will be accessible to all children including those with disabilities — at Mountain View Learning Center.
Located at 5780 Hendrickson Ave., the center currently serves 114 preschool students, with room for 151. Forty of those spots were new this year, said Principal Ashley Hill, funded through the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program.
Construction should begin in summer 2025 and will take a few months, said Tracy Diehl, a grant writer at Ferndale School District.
“Not only is [the playground] going to be a gift to our kids here, but a gift to our community,” Diehl said. “People that have children with special disabilities can come together here after hours and play on it.”
Mountain View Learning Center serves preschool students with a range of abilities, including students with autism, speech-language impairments, health needs, sensory processing disorders and more, Hill said. It’s located at the former Mountain View Elementary School, which closed more than a decade ago.
As a result, the playground facilities at the center aren’t suitable for the children that attend school there. Many of the children are too small, and there also is a lack of adaptability for children with physical disabilities, Diehl said.
The new playground will be built for children ages 3–5, and will have a pour-in-place base and ramps so children in wheelchairs can experience the playground, she said.
Diehl said the district formed a committee around this project, featuring parents, teachers and community members to get feedback. That committee has overseen the design process, although the final design still needs to be approved by the health department.
“In our first meeting, one of the moms was all teary,” Diehl said. “She’s like, ‘My daughter’s never been able to use a slide, and she’ll be able to use a slide now,’ so it’s just really exciting to see the excitement.”
The county’s contribution from the Community Priorities Fund should cover the cost of constructing the playground, as well as building a path for children in wheelchairs to get from the parking lot to the playground. The project won’t replace the existing playgrounds at the center — it will add an additional playground, open to the public outside of regular school hours.
“I think it’s a need for families to come as a community and learn about each other and play together on the weekends, and just have that experience where everyone can play,” Hill said. “Because every child deserves to play, no matter what their abilities are.”
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
