A small group of parents came together as a result of a series of forums throughout the community on recreation issues. The Playground Improvement Coalition surveyed Danbury's 13 elementary schools and four public playgrounds and with a few exceptions found them to be in deplorable condition. Most were dangerously unsafe. Even newer playgrounds built by a previous community outreach effort had deteriorated from lack of routine maintenance. An outside inspection company repeated the findings at a citywide meeting hosted by the Mayor's office, the Department of Parks and Recreation and Danbury Children First.

CFI members repeatedly contacted the local newspaper and got very good coverage on their efforts to improve Danbury's parks. The local paper published a powerful article with a picture showing the efforts. Team members spoke before the Common Council about the need for scheduled maintenance of the city parks. PTOs were urged to insist on city funding for new school playgrounds. The Mayor presented a new bond referendum, which included a large amount of money for playgrounds, and funding for new playgrounds was made available in 1997. Parents were part of the decision-making process as bids were reviewed and a contractor chosen. Three hundred volunteers came out over three weekends in August 1997 to build four new playgrounds including a handicap accessible playground. New playground construction became a line item in the 1998-99 city budget and all schools received new playgrounds.

The goal was to replace Danbury's crumbling playgrounds with challenging, exciting new play equipment. Equally important was city government's commitment for ongoing maintenance inspections of the playgrounds. This would provide children in Danbury safe and challenging outdoor play spaces.

An organizer's salary was covered with funds from Fairfield County Community Foundation and Danbury Children First from the Graustein Memorial Fund. A parent-leader and community volunteers supplied other needed resources. Funding was provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act, through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and from a bond issue the Coalition lobbied for. Other small amounts came from a Work Family Initiative grant and the Meserve Fund. Local merchants generously contributed food and paper goods during the construction.

Parents led the effort to work with the city to make this project happen. Parents and city officials collaborated successfully and secured funding to build the new playgrounds.

The future of the Playground Improvement Coalition is uncertain at this time. The committee had enormous success meeting its very challenging goals. The new playgrounds will be used for many years to come. Continued funding is needed to maintain the new playground areas. Currently, it is included in the city budget.

Not enough information is available on how to build playgrounds that meet the needs of challenged children. Also the project wanted to include parents of handicapped children in the decision-making process for building an accessible playground, but was unable to find or engage them. Additionally, the first phase met the requirements of accessibility laws, but did not meet the needs of many children. Twenty months later, volunteers built phase two.

Efforts to increase staffing at the Department of Parks and Recreation have not been successful; therefore, the Coalition has not been able to get a firm commitment from the city for scheduled maintenance for the parks.

The city had never before paid for a school playground after initial construction of a school. Now the city's public schools have appropriate playgrounds for the children. Danbury also now has excellent public playgrounds as well. "Every Child's Dream" is one of the largest handicap accessible playgrounds in the country. Volunteers were able to change an established system for the better and feel a sense of ownership and pride because of their participation in the process.

Danbury Children First Playground Coalition Chair, (203) 743-1750

In 1996, Kim Giarratana took her daughter to a local playground; it was in pretty bad shape. She contacted the town's Parks and Recreation Department which directed her to Danbury's Children First Initiative. She discovered it wasn't just one playground-all the playgrounds in Danbury needed repair, including those on school grounds. Kim was appointed Playground Improvement Coordinator and worked with the Parks and Recreation Department and the city for a bond referendum. She also helped organize 300-400 parents to build a large playground in the center of Danbury and three other smaller city playgrounds and to repair the school playgrounds.

Through her involvement on the playground committee, Ms. Giarratana became a board member of Danbury's Children First Initiative and eventually served as board chair. In this position, she had the opportunity to work on the local, state and national levels. She notes of her involvement, "The passion continues to grow because you can see other parents getting involved and how their involvement is making changes within the system." She has also become one of the driving forces behind the national parents' movement, Parents Across America, which received a grant to help bring parents throughout the United States together to make changes where they live.

Kim Giarratana never thought that looking into improving the playground would have such a dramatic effect on her life. "It just totally changed my life. I have always been a children's advocate. I was a pediatric nurse before coming to Children First. It has always been a part of me, but now it is a huge part of who I am and what I do. The support of Children First has helped me so much. I've grown immensely as an individual and now I don't mind taking some risk and putting myself out to do this work."

To ensure that what she has learned about being involved is passed on to the next generation, she brought her daughter to the Parent Across America conferences. "Just to have her and the other children there adds to the meeting. You know you are being a role model for your child. She is going to grow up knowing just how important this work is for children."