Little Dove's Daycare, a subsidiary of the Arc of St. Charles, recently completed its new, child-friendly playground area. The playground, providing a safe, fun environment for toddlers to play, received part of its funding from a Dow Community Grant.

The new playground module was designed with a foundation made of special, soft tiles to prevent injuries while the children are at play. Daycare Director Virt Poindexter said, "The specially-cushioned soft tiles provide a 'safe' flat surface where the youngsters can enjoy big wheels, bikes and other riding toys without the fear of injury if a mishap does occur." Prior to its construction, the children had no structured equipment for outside activities.

In addition to preventing injuries, the playground provides an essential learning environment not available inside the classroom. Poindexter said, "The playground provides a much needed opportunity for the children to exercise their gross motor skills, as well as the opportunity to learn sharing and communal skills with their peers. Dow's partnership and financial support through the Community Grants Program helped make this a reality."

Thanks to community volunteers, such as Ronnie Theriot, J.C. Clark and Stephen Agnelly, who donated their time to complete the foundation and cement work, as well as the suppliers who installed the equipment and soft tiles, Little Dove's Daycare can now provide a fully integrated day care program.  

Little Dove's Daycare provides care giving services to children with or without disabilities whom range in age from three months to four years. It is a subsidiary of the Arc of St. Charles, which is a United Way agency.

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