Why it’s so hard to get playgrounds in Philly’s public schools
Two-thirds of Philly's public schools don't have playgrounds. Research shows the spaces are beneficial for kids, so why is it so hard to build them?
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Maurice Barnes plays in the schoolyard behind Lowell Elementary School in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Two-thirds of Philadelphia’s public schools don’t have playgrounds, many of them in neighborhoods where lower-income kids of color live — although that’s slowly changing. WHYY health and science reporter Nina Feldman has spent months looking at why it can be so difficult to build playgrounds in city schools, and why research says these spaces are so beneficial to children and their neighborhoods. And it turns out, the community has plenty to say on this issue. Nina joins us on this episode of The Why.
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