Learning Landscapes & Active Schoolyards

Funded by the Tri-County Health Department and led by the Colorado Center for Community Development (CCCD), the ‘Active Schoolyards, Active Minds’ projects included site master planning for 40 schools in 9 school districts. The program is intended to foster physical activity and academic success in schools and their surrounding communities.  For each school, the community engagement process included district and focus group meetings, student surveys, and community workshops.  Program elements developed through both site plans and master plan reports for each school site focused on increasing community involvement, social gathering and physical activity at each campus.  

Since 2003, Kerry White has also collaborated with Denver Public Schools and the Learning Landscape Program to renovate over 30 elementary schoolyards.  These projects target urban neighborhoods to provide needed green space through the renovation of outdated and uninspired public school playgrounds.  The playgrounds are transformed into innovative play and learning spaces that also serve the local neighborhoods as parks.  Kerry’s design creativity, understanding of age-appropriate developmental play, construction experience, and passion for these innovative playgrounds have resulted in authentic site connections to their communities and educational elements that reflect the character and curriculum of each individual school.