A playground replaced this preschool's empty asphalt lot. It's a game-changer for learning

"A year ago, the back lot of Normont Early Education Center was little more than a bare, heat-radiating expanse of asphalt. Outside, the Harbor City preschool reflected its industrial neighborhood: scant grass, little shade, amid a block of warehouses full of grinding machinery. To get to campus, parents must shepherd their children through a concrete labyrinth, past auto body shops and steel manufacturers. At times, the noise of grinding gears can obscure the soprano whoops and wails of the preschoolers."

"A $3.3-million interactive learning garden at Normont Early Education Center replaces the school's asphalt lot. Parents say the outdoor classroom is crucial for their children in industrial Harbor City, where green space is limited."

""We know that being quarantined at home, a lot of students came to us pretty much being used to having devices in their hands," Aguet said. "It's very important that we limit that time so that all the other areas of growth and development - social, emotional - are taken care of.""

The back lot of Normont Early Education Center was previously a heat-radiating asphalt expanse in an industrial Harbor City neighborhood with scant grass, little shade, and warehouses. Parents must shepherd children through concrete surroundings past auto body shops and steel manufacturers where grinding machinery can drown out preschoolers. A new $3.3-million interactive learning garden replaces the asphalt, funded by a voter-approved $9-billion bond and Los Angeles Unified's push to increase urban school green space. The playground includes sandboxes, grass, and gardens and targets 2- to 5-year-olds who experienced pandemic isolation and excess screen time. School leaders emphasize outdoor, playful group interaction for social and emotional development.

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