The Hawaii State Department of Education (HSDE) is partnering with Hawaii 3Rs, a non-profit organization, on an $18 million project to repair, replace, or build approximately 100 playgrounds throughout Hawaii.
“Student health and wellness is a top priority for the department, and playgrounds are a great way to provide students opportunities to socialize and engage in physical activity,” Keith Hayashi, superintendent of education for the state, said in a news release from the office of Gov. Josh Green (D-HI). “We look forward to working with Hawaii 3Rs on this initiative and thank them in advance for their hard work and dedication in expanding access to new and updated playground equipment for our students.”
There are 545 playgrounds in service across the department’s public schools and conversion charter schools, according to the news release. The playgrounds encourage child development beyond physical wellness, Hayashi said. Benefits include enhancing social, emotional, and imaginative skills; increasing confidence; improving coordination; and advancing critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
The department has modernized playgrounds to ensure that the equipment is fun and safe, the news release noted. Upgrades include refurbishing playgrounds with artificial turf or rubber surfacing and modernizing existing playground designs. The partnership with Hawaii 3Rs will provide funding and resources to facilitate the work.
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke (D-HI) said repairing playgrounds is not as easy as it sounds.
“One of the things that is surprisingly really difficult to figure out and build is playground equipment because it is very specialized,” Luke said at a recent event at Pauoa Elementary School. “Especially in Hawaii, we have to be mindful of the salt concentration in the air for the safety of the equipment, and as you can see, today’s playground equipment is not like what we played on when we were young.”
Sen. Daniel Inouye started Hawaii 3Rs in 2001 as a means to address the backlog of repair and maintenance issues at public schools in the state, according to the news release. The partnership between HSDE and Hawaii 3Rs is part of his legacy.
“It’s very appropriate that we kick off this initiative today, which is the 10th anniversary of Sen. Inouye’s passing,” Linda Chu Takayama, board member of Hawaii 3Rs, said in the news release. “He is probably looking down on us, giving his appreciation and blessing for how we are continuing and expanding his program to provide repair, maintenance, and restoration for all of the public schools in our state. This was a project very near and dear to his heart and we are very pleased to be a part of this.”
Playgrounds targeted for repair or replacement will be determined by factors including location, age, and condition, the news release noted. The majority of these playgrounds will be at elementary schools. New playground equipment at middle schools will also be allocated on each island.
Public school playgrounds are open during school hours only, according to the news release. Any use of the facilities that is unrelated to student activities during non-school hours is prohibited.
