A dream come true: Lakewood community fulfills mom's dream of inclusive playground equipment

The sweet, bell-like tones of the tongue drum ring through the playground as the light, twinkling sounds of the metallophone mix and meld with the laughs and excited voices of students at Lakewood Elementary.

These magical sounds are thanks to the work of Lakewood’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), which raised funds throughout the school year to ensure the playground featured inclusive equipment that benefits all students.

What makes the project more significant is the legacy of the parent who made it her mission to raise money for the new equipment. Lauren Sifferman, Lakewood’s PTO president, died in 2022 in the midst of raising money for playground equipment.

“Losing a parent is a very difficult topic, especially in elementary school, and because Lauren was so embedded in our school, it was like losing a staff member,” said Kathleen Cigich, Lakewood Elementary principal.

Adding inclusive playground equipment had been a goal of Sifferman’s for a few years, Cigich said. As Sifferman watched Lakewood students, including her own kids, play outside, she saw the need to make sure all students had the opportunity for accessible play.

“Our big takeaway as we put the equipment out there is that reminder, every day, that we’re a family and school is a safe place to be,” Cigich said. “It’s so important to us that the students feel loved every day. It’s a great reminder of how Lauren wanted the best for her students and her kids.”

One big fundraising push Sifferman and the PTO organized to raise money for the equipment occurred in September 2022 during the school’s annual Lap-A-Thon. The PTO raised over $20,000 during that event, which typically raises between $2,000 and $4,000.

“It was incredible. We really just wanted to help show our support and have all students be a part of the playground, and our community was able to really step up and help make that happen,” said Kim Garcia, Lakewood’s PTO president. “Lauren was a huge part of making this idea come to fruition.”

As Sifferman’s death reverberated through the Lakewood community, the need to band together and ensure Sifferman’s dream came true was clear.

The new playground equipment, installed in April, includes a tongue drum, two metallophones, a bench and a communication board.

While all Lakewood students will benefit from the new equipment, the school’s LIFT and Intensive Resource center-based special education classrooms will reap the most benefits.

“With the communication board, we are really targeting those center-based classrooms where a lot of them bring their communication device outside, which makes it hard to play,” Cigich said. “Then we wanted something that was wheelchair accessible, and that was part of the instruments and being able to use your wheelchair right up to the instrument and play.”

The equipment also encourages peer play, as multiple groups of students can collaborate and play together.

“It makes me really excited to see that all students are now part of the playground, able to participate in different activities and communicate with their peers,” Garcia said.

A common language

When Charlie Shafer, a first-grader at Lakewood, steps onto the playground, it is much easier for him to communicate with his peers, thanks to the communication board. Shafer, who has Down syndrome and is pre-verbal, struggles to communicate with his classmates.

At the beginning of the school year, when Ashlee Shafer, Charlie’s mom, learned there would be a push for additional playground equipment, she suggested a new communication board that features various phrases, pictures, letters and numbers to help kids communicate their wants and needs.

“Sometimes I feel like he misses social opportunities because he’s trying to say a word, but only familiar people, like his family, know what he’s saying,” Ashlee Shafer said. “So it just helps him connect to his peers because it gives them a common language out there on the playground.”

Ashlee Shafer said it meant a lot to her to know that Sifferman, Garcia and the entire PTO had made the playground equipment a personal project.

“As a parent of a kid who’s pre-verbal with Down syndrome, I care a lot about whether he can communicate with his peers,” Ashlee Shafer said. “But what surprised me is how much the parents at Lakewood also want their typical child to be able to communicate with the kids in the intensive program.”

The values Lakewood families have instilled in their children about friendship and inclusivity have expanded past the school walls.

“Because of what they’re being taught at Lakewood, we feel like Charlie’s part of the community,” Ashlee Shafer said. “He’s on the swim team in our neighborhood, and he’s been able to foster friendships and gets invited to birthday parties. All because, at school, they go out of their way to make sure that he’s just one of the kids.”