by Cori Hilsgen
A new updated playground was recently installed at Colts Academy, where the St. Cloud School District’s early-childhood education programs are now located after a fire destroyed the Roosevelt Education Center last summer.
The program includes early-childhood family education, school-readiness preschool, early-childhood screening and early-childhood special education.
St. Cloud School District Supervisor of Buildings and Maintenance Bryan Brown said an inventory of spaces outside the classroom setting was taken when school started in the fall, to ensure the health and safety of all students at Colts Academy.
A playground-equipment inspection revealed the equipment located on the grounds was not age-appropriate and was no longer suitable or safe for the children attending Colts Academy.
The old playground equipment was determined to be unrepairable and could not be sold or given away because of liability issues. It was removed and hauled away to be recycled.
Staff at Colts Academy helped design a new, safe and age-appropriate playground that was recently installed behind the building. The playground is designed to be moveable if the early childhood program relocates again to a different location.