Playgrounds are more than places to play—they are essential spaces for learning, social connection, and belonging. Inclusive playgrounds ensure that all students, including those with disabilities, have equitable access to recess and outdoor play alongside their peers.

By improving accessibility and expanding inclusive play opportunities, Every Buddy’s Playground promotes social interaction, empathy, and friendships among students of all abilities. These shared experiences help build stronger school communities where every child feels welcomed, valued, and included.

This initiative reflects Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools’ commitment to creating environments that support the whole child and foster inclusion both inside and outside the classroom.

Every Buddy's Playground Project focuses on two primary objectives:

1. Improving access by resurfacing portions of each playground with a smooth, flat surface to better support students with mobility needs. 

2. Enhancing inclusive play by upgrading existing playground equipment to increase opportunities for students in both special education and general education to engage together during recess and outdoor play.

Webber Recreational Design, the playground vendor, is supporting this work by evaluating each elementary playground to determine specific access and design needs. These evaluations include direct input from staff and families of students enrolled in Special Education Center-based Programs at each site. Because each playground is unique, assessments and improvements will be tailored individually for each school.

Phase One of the project will focus on Glendale and Jeffers Pond, with the installation of new flat-surface areas and the addition of adaptive playground equipment planned for completion by Fall 2026.

Phase Two will bring similar, site-specific upgrades to Five Hawks and Redtail Ridge in the following years, with future improvements planned for Hamilton Ridge and La ola del lago.

This initiative is made possible through a partnership with the Laker Education Foundation, whose Laker Impact Grant is providing $160,000 in seed funding to help launch and support this important work across multiple sites.