Push Play Project aims to build, enhance playgrounds

Small children, laughing as they swing, zip down slides, and clamber over jungle gyms at local playgrounds, are a part of life that makes everyone smile.

Parents like playgrounds because they help de-wiggle their youngsters as they learn to climb a rope hand-over-hand or go up the ladder to the slide “all by myself” or exhort their parents to push harder. Moms and dads run after escaping toddlers and persuade kids not to eat rocks.

The Push Play Project of the Flathead Reservation Lake County is “on a mission to create safe, accessible spaces that promote physical activity and family engagement, all to improve long-term health in our communities,” according to the organization’s website, pushplayfrlc.org. At the same time, the group believes active kids are healthier kids, and that Push Play “is a pathway to help address chronic diseases, obesity, and behavioral health.”

The impetus originated about a decade ago with the 0-5 of Flathead Reservation/Lake County, an organization that came together to look at ways of supporting families and pre-school children, said board member Dana Grant.

Then, 0-5 brought their members and other community leaders together to form the Push Play Leadership Team. In addition to Grant, members include Jennifer Rolfsness, Eleanor Vizcarra, Carole Lankford, Tom McDonald, Gale Decker, Kate Stinger, Sjaan Vincent, George Simpson, Stephanie Gillin and Betsy Wade.

“We have representatives from all across the community, from tribal leadership to county leadership, to schools, nonprofits, and education. Everyone's coming together,” Grant said.

Then, in 2022, came much-appreciated funding from the Headwaters Foundation, an organization that “puts families at the center of creating solutions to improve health in Western Montana,” according to its website.

That’s a perfect match for the Push Play team, which used those resources for some strategic planning, carefully considering accessibility, availability, population, maintenance, security and community needs.

Since then the group has continued fundraising and worked on logistics with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the communities in Lake County.

With the largest populations centered in Ronan and Polson, that’s where Push Play began work. Near the Ronan Skatepark, which is across from the Mission Valley Boys and Girls Club, a Push Play Park will be installed in June.

In Polson, the aging playground equipment at Boettcher Park will be replaced in a collaborative effort between the City of Polson and Push Play. That refurbishment is already in progress, with the wood chips and mat being removed to make way for new equipment.

Grant said Push Play has a big national partner that will install the playgrounds. They are great to work with and even give the project a little break on cost, he added.

But Push Play isn’t stopping there. Salish Point is a place the leadership team wants to do some work; Arlee, St. Ignatius and Pablo are also on the list. To donate, go to the website pushplayfrlc.org.

With such a large area to cover, the Push Play plan includes three phases of implementation, over the next five years.

According to the website, “Our vision is to have a connected series of Push Play spaces throughout our communities where signage will help visitors understand the links to each site, while encouraging people to use different venues. Our team will consider ways to connect the natural world, local culture, historic factors, community lore, and other meaningful information into each design.”

Push Play will serve the 33,000 residents of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County, as well as the surrounding counties and tourists traveling to Glacier Park, who might want to stop, let the children play, and enjoy the Mission Valley.