I live in a small town with only 300 children from Pre-K - 12 grade. We have a playground that is around 40+ years old. There is just no where for the kids to play at anymore. I am trying to find helpful information on how to update without spending more money than we have.
Any suggestions>
Try the Lowes Toolbox for Education Grant.
Lowe's Toolbox for Education
You have to fill out a pretty detailed application but it's well worth it.
Our school won it last year and we plan to pave a walking/running track on the school grounds with the grant money.
Our school, which is also a Title I, does a spring festival and a walkathon every year. Each brings in about $8000 - $12,000.
By the way, when choosing a playground company, do NOT use Playmart.
We have a carnival every spring, held indoors (though you could do it outdoors if your weather allows). We have the big blow-up slides, games, a silent auction (usually things donated by local businesses), an auction of baskets that are made up by each individual class and a bake sale. We generate a lot of funds from this, so it would be worth looking into.
We were recently approached by our new principal about our playground. We have old see saws that she feels should be replaced. We are a small Title 1 school. We generally have maybe 30 of our 200 families participate in fundraisers. The money we generate from the fundraisers gets us through the year.
Any ideas for fundraising or grants that might work for us. We also have to consider that the playground is used by the community which poses additional concerns.
