playcore community partners

PlayCore partners with a number of community organizations that are instrumental in promoting the importance of recreation and play for children and adults including the Children’s Home/ Chambliss Shelter, Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department/ Therapeutic Recreation Division, The Bright School, Creative Discovery Museum, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Siskin Children's Institute.


Children’s Home/ Chambliss Shelter

Through collaboration with the Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter, PlayCore is better able to understand the unique needs of children, families and service providers. Bob Farnsworth, PlayCore’s President and CEO, serves on the board of directors and helps support the development and use of meaningful playground environments to support children’s growth and development. PlayCore employees also support the organization in a variety of ways such as volunteering to sell ice cream at the local Chattanooga Market and donating holiday items for needy children.

The purpose of the Children’s Home/ Chambliss Shelter is to preserve family unity and to help prevent the dependency, neglect, abuse and delinquency of children by responding to the community's childcare needs. To learn more, visit the CHCS website at www.ch-cs.org.

Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department/ Therapeutic Recreation Division

PlayCore collaborates with city personnel in a variety of ways to better understand, support and promote the value of parks, public playgrounds and recreation programs for children, families and communities. To bring universally accessible play to the heart of downtown Chattanooga, PlayCore donated an inclusive playground for the City’s beautiful waterfront parkway as a feature destination at the City’s annual Go!Fest event, a celebration of the diversity of abilities in our community. The City’s Therapeutic Recreation staff also work with PlayCore to pilot and implement the new Outdoor Creative Play and Learning System that offers standards-based activities for the playground. The system is proving to be a valuable resource for summer camp and after school programs by providing meaningful play and physical activity at area community centers. PlayCore and the City also partner in the development of a community play day program at the waterfront’s universally accessible playground in celebration of Disability Awareness Month. Together, our organizations are moving play forward in our community and beyond.

The mission of the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department is to provide diverse recreation and leisure opportunities for all ages and abilities in a fun and safe environment. The goal is to build relationships, create partnerships, and facilitate programs that accommodate the overall interests and needs of the Chattanooga community. The Parks and Recreation Department provides a wide variety of educational and recreational activities throughout a network of 60 public parks, 15 community recreation centers, public golf courses, swimming pools, the Chattanooga Zoo, Chattanooga Fitness Center, tennis complex, skatepark and dog friendly "Chattanooga Chew Chew Park.”

The Therapeutic Recreation Division provides a wide variety of activities that have been adapted to engage individuals with special needs and disabilities and serves as community partner with numerous rehabilitative and support services. For more information, visit www.chattanooga.gov.

The Bright School

Located in Chattanooga, TN, The Bright School is a private elementary school for pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students. The Bright School is dedicated to the academic, artistic, and physical development of each student and emphasizes citizenship, the joy of learning, and self-confidence within a happy, welcoming environment.

Founder Mary Gardner Bright celebrated children's natural delight in learning and believed deeply in the importance of "encouraging initiative in work, play, and the conduct of school affairs." Art, music, shop, science, physical education, computer, the performing arts, and Spanish all complement the important work in the core classrooms. Learning takes place all over campus, and within classrooms you'll find a variety of teaching styles and learning opportunities that allow all students a chance to grow and progress. The Kilbride Enrichment Center further supports these efforts by tending to the individual needs of students at varying levels of development. For more information, visit www.brightschool.com.

Like PlayCore, The Bright School believes in the value of outdoor play. The school is developing unique outdoor classrooms and nature areas alongside traditional playground equipment for a comprehensive outdoor learning program. PlayCore/Play & Park Structures partners with the progressive educational faculty to test and better understand the developmental benefits of playground products and curricular programs in the outdoor play environment.

Creative Discovery Museum

Located in Chattanooga, TN, the Creative Discovery Museum is a hands-on children’s museum offering activities and exhibits featuring art, music, science, and technology. Created with children’s input, the Museum is full of "WOW" to actively engage kids and parents through a wide variety of exhibits that help develop a love for learning through play. Educational programs offered year-round include science demonstrations, art lessons, visiting artists, scientists-in-residence, and musical programs. For more information and a current listing of activities, visit www.cdmfun.org.

PlayCore and Creative Discovery Museum are both committed to the value of play and partner in a variety of ways to move play forward. Bob Farnsworth, PlayCore’s President and CEO, serves on the museum’s board of directors, and PlayCore serves as a corporate sponsor for Amuse’um, the museum’s annual fundraiser and evening of play for adults. As partners and advocates for play, the organizations work together to study and promote the value of play through educational programs. Jayne Griffin, Director of Education at the museum, and Lisa Moore, PlayCore’s Corporate Director of Education and Programs, recently presented a session entitled Structuring Informal Environments to Facilitate Creative Play at the International Play Association and The Association for the Study of Play’s International Conference at the Strong National Museum of Play. Through collaboration, playground products are tested at the museum providing rich opportunities to observe children and families at play while gaining valuable feedback and advisement from a diverse group of museum educators.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) is a national model for metropolitan universities. In collaboration with its many regional partners, they offer students an experiential learning environment graced with outstanding teaching scholars in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. For more information, visit www.utc.edu.

PlayCore partners with several of UTC’s academic departments to support the development of college students preparing to enter a variety of child development fields. Psychology professor Dr. Lynn Ourth oversees program evaluation projects that provide valuable data to the company while students gain unique hands-on experiences observing and interacting with children at play.

 Siskin Children's Institute

Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Siskin Children's Institute is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with special needs and their families. The Institute achieves its mission through education and outreach programs, pediatric health care, and ongoing research in the field of disabilities. For further information visit www.siskin.org.

Siskin Children’s Institute serves as a lab site and collaborates with PlayCore on the development of universally accessible playgrounds that provide inclusive play for all children. Through their outreach programs, the Institute receives many visitors interested in learning about the model GameTime playground located at Siskin School. Children of all abilities, parents, educators, therapists and administrators are valuable collaborators as PlayCore strives to move play forward for all children.