John F. Kennedy Elementary Schoolyard

Trust for Public Land believes that access to nature is a fundamental human need. Unfortunately, one in five Scranton residents does not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home, and many Scranton students don’t even have access to a healthy, green schoolyard.

TPL has found that such playgrounds unleash a wealth of benefits for students and communities lacking access to vibrant open spaces. They maximize health, wellness, community, and environmental benefits while improving learning and quality of life for students and nearby residents. Studies reveal that spending time in nature can reduce stress, anger, and aggression and boost communication and relationship skills.

Our Community Schoolyards® program is a low-cost, effective solution to park access that promotes a healthy lifestyle, reduces educational and access disparities, and improves educational outcomes while making underserved communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

TPL identified the Scranton School District as one of the districts nationwide that would most benefit from our Community Schoolyard program by using a prioritization tool that evaluates existing water quality, urban heat, physical activity levels, mental health, and social and demographic metrics.

Based on those criteria, TPL decided to transform three South Scranton elementary schools, beginning with John F. Kennedy Elementary School, which serves more than 400 students.

School and community stakeholders will help transform the asphalt campus grounds into a purposeful green schoolyard that’s also accessible to the community after school and on weekends. Our unique participatory program allows students, teachers, and the community to determine the best use for the schoolyards and consider elements such as basketball courts, climbing walls, community gardens, and more. Student participation provides many learning opportunities, such as lessons in budgeting, and landscape architects will finalize renderings that feature the students’ own preferred design elements.