Harmony Playground Now Open - October 22, 2020
Harmony Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
22/10/2020Harmony Playground Photo Gallery
2019 Ceremonial Groundbreaking Photo Gallery
2019 Black Tie Gala Photo Gallery
2018 Autumn Black Tie Gala Photo Gallery
Buy a Brick
You can become a permanent part of our new playground by purchasing a brick today. We can add your logo or graphic to the brick along with up to three lines of text.
Buy a T-Shirt
The new Tri-Blend (50% Polyester, 25% Cotton,25% Rayon) shirts are now on sale and available for $30. All proceeds go directly towards the Harmony Playground. Clayton Pediatric Dentistry is the official retailer (stop by to pickup a shirt!). Their office is downtown Clayton - 482 E Main St, Clayton, NC 27520.
Story of the Harmony Playground
Title Sponsor Press Conference - Caterpillar
Harmony Playground Groundbreaking
12/10/2019National Statistics in USA
CHILDREN ARE AUTISTIC
CHILDREN HAVE DISABILITIES
13-18 YEAR OLDS HAVE ANXIETY
AMERICANS HAVE DISABILITIES
Our Mission
The Harmony Playground at East Clayton Community Park is designed to be a one-of-a-kind Inclusion Play destination inviting and enabling children of ALL abilities to play together in a safe, educational and supportive environment where families, caregivers and citizens in support of inclusion come together.
About Harmony Playground
This playground is sponsored by the Clayton Community Recreational Foundation:
- CCRF is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible in accordance with Federal Tax Laws.
- CCRF was established in 1983, in order to provide an opportunity for individuals and corporations to contribute to the recreational opportunities in the Clayton Community, and receive the tax exempt benefits of the donation.
- CCRF has funded a variety of small projects for the Clayton Community Parks systems over the past 25 years.
- The Harmony Playground is a tremendous opportunity for the community to support the Foundation, in developing a playground where kids and parents of all abilities can play together. The CCRF is leading the funding, design, and construction of the playground, for the community.
2018 Gala Footage
Become a SponsorDesign
Need for Data Collection
As of 2012, federal law requires that public play areas include wheelchair-friendly surfaces and equipment that help kids with physical challenges and their mobility only meeting specific accessibility standards providing their residents with “program accessibility,” which means there are equal play opportunities for everyone in the community. Inclusive design of a Universal Playground has been evolving for decades. Whereas Federal accessibility guidelines have been around since the 1990s, there is now bigger push by parents, advocates and designers, amounting to an inclusive playground movement, as public playgrounds meeting only accessibility standards are generally the responsibility of local governments that hold limited funding. In 2014, a focus group in Johnston County was comprised of area residents to include the parents of children with special needs and a universal playground concept was presented to the Clayton Town Council. Factors in support of the need for a Universal Playground in Johnston County include:
- Increase in the number of infants born drug exposed or drug addicted
- Number of infants and children who are HIV-positive of have AIDS has risen
- As a result of improved medical care and technology, the survival rates for seriously impaired neonates and children with serious pediatric disorders has increased. The range of traditional social services has not been able to meet the growing demand for support for families who care for these children.
- Changes in medical insurance coverage and the cost-effectiveness of home health care, have limited the amount of time a seriously-ill child can remain in hospitals or other institutional settings;
- Earlier recognition of caregivers, parents, medical professionals and education providers in the developmental delays in children’s play, learning, speaking and actions.