RCMA has received a generous $46,025 grant from the Ocean Reef Community Foundation to enhance the safety and fun of our playgrounds in Miami-Dade! This funding will allow us to remove the existing surfaces in four playground areas and install new pour-in-place material, providing a safer, cushiony surface to help protect our children as they play and grow.
Based in Key Largo, Florida, Ocean Reef Community Foundation has been a steadfast partner in our mission, supporting vital initiatives for children and families across Miami-Dade for many years. Founded in 1994, the Foundation’s mission is to foster a culture of giving that amplifies their collective strength, inspiring generations to make Ocean Reef and the surrounding communities a better place.
The new playground surface-specifically, the installation of pour-in-place material-will significantly improve the safety of children in several key ways:
- Enhanced Impact Absorption: Pour-in-place surfacing is designed to cushion falls and absorb shock, reducing the severity of injuries such as fractures or head trauma if a child trips or falls from playground equipment. This is especially important as falls to the surface account for nearly 70% of playground injuries.
- Fall Height Protection: The material is engineered to meet specific standards for fall height protection, ensuring that even from elevated play structures, the surface beneath provides adequate cushioning to minimize injury risk.
- Reduced Tripping Hazards: The new surface will be smooth and uniform, helping to prevent trips and falls that can occur on uneven or worn-out playground surfaces.
- Weather Resistance and Traction: Pour-in-place surfacing maintains its safety features in various weather conditions, providing reliable traction and reducing the risk of slips, even when wet.
- Improved Accessibility: This type of surface is ADA-compliant, offering a stable and level area that is accessible to children with mobility challenges, allowing all children to play safely together.
- Durability and Consistency: The new material is long-lasting and retains its shock-absorbing properties over time, ensuring continued safety despite heavy use.
By upgrading to this modern, impact-absorbing surface, the playground will become a much safer environment where children can play, explore, and develop with a reduced risk of injury.
Thank you, Ocean Reef Community Foundation, for your ongoing commitment to our community’s children! Together, we’re building safer, brighter futures-one playground at a time.
