This preschool’s new playground is a game-changer for learning, play

A year ago, the back lot of Normont Early Education Center was little more than a bare, heat-radiating expanse of asphalt. Outside, the Harbor City preschool reflected its industrial neighborhood: scant grass, little shade, amid a block of warehouses full of grinding machinery.

To get to campus, parents must shepherd their children through a concrete labyrinth, past auto body shops and steel manufacturers. At times, the noise of grinding gears can obscure the soprano whoops and wails of the preschoolers.

But on Monday, the children of Normont stepped into a friendlier scene on campus and were off and running on their new $3.3-million playground, a gift that is far more than sandboxes, grass and gardens.

Funded with money from a voter-approved, $9-billion bond and part of Los Angeles Unified’s pledge to increase green space at urban schools, the playground is particularly important to this cohort of preschoolers, who desperately need more outdoor play spaces, said Deborah Aguet, principal of Normont Early Education Center, which serves 2- to 5-year-olds.

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Most of these children were born during the pandemic and spent much of their infancy quarantined indoors, their earliest socialization filtered through the blue light of tablets and television, Aguet said.

“We know that being quarantined at home, a lot of students came to us pretty much being used to having devices in their hands,” Aguet said. “It’s very important that we limit that time so that all the other areas of growth and development — social, emotional — are taken care of.”

At this stage of their development, it is essential to emphasize playful group interaction outside, said Dr. Angela Breidenstine, a senior psychologist at the Child Mind Institute — a nonprofit dedicated to children’s mental health. Breidenstine added that outside play teaches toddlers about risk, allows them to test boundaries and promotes compromise with others.

The new outdoor classroom offers a variety of activities.

(Gary Coronado / For The Times)

“It gives kids an opportunity to really test their boundaries a little bit in a safe way,” Breidenstine said. “Whether it’s going to try to climb higher or going to try to run faster and get into some kind of age-appropriate competition with each other. … They have opportunities to support and encourage each other, and even build their empathy.”

Arlena Harrison, a teacher’s aide, said she noted an immediate difference in the children Monday. She said after playing outside in the morning her invigorated students had less trouble paying attention in the afternoon.

Parent India Callwood, who moved to the Harbor City area a few months ago, said she was delighted that her 4-year-old’s local school has gone through such lengths to promote outdoor play.

“With the warehouse area, it can get a little loud, but with their new playground to play in, there’s so much space for them to just be free with nature,” Callwood said. “They’re inside all the time … any space to get some fresh air and play is the best.”

Azul Montez, 4, throws bean bags at Normont Early Education Center.

(Gary Coronado / For The Times)

Dior Johnson, 2, kicked a ball toward another child, who interrupted his sprint across the yard to kick it right back to her. The ball went back and forth for minutes, and not a single word was spoken between them, but understanding was achieved through play. Dora Johnson said her daughter has a speech delay and believes outside play frees her to “really express herself.”

“Sometimes, when she doesn’t want to communicate or articulate her emotions or feelings, I think that this natural outdoor play gives her a sense of words that she can’t express,” Johnson said.

Nearby, two children erected a towering pyramid in their brand-new sandbox. Others tried and failed to master the precise art of jumping rope. Most didn’t stay in one place for long but instead formed temporary cliques based on the games they played.

LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho said promoting outside play is especially important for children after the city was roiled by immigration raids and many fearful parents kept families indoors.

Enkh-erdene Altandush, 5, is delighted to be riding a tricycle in the outdoor space.

(Gary Coronado / For The Times)

The outdoor classroom offers “something for everyone,” Carvalho said. “This is the way to get our children into areas that reflect their dreams, their aspirations and their ability.”

The children jumped for joy after winning a game of cornhole; others fell and whined in defeat, but got up to play again. And despite the abrasive whir of machinery nearby, on this Monday afternoon, the sound of children laughing cut through the noise.