BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Kids attending the Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program (BECEP) Preschool are heading back to school on Thursday, August 22 — and this year, they’ll get to have fun hanging out in their new indoor playground during recess.

The new playground is located in the school gymnasium and has been adapted so that kids with disabilities can have fun playing on it. These upgrades even include braille signs for visually impaired children.

“Inclusion is the heart of Bismarck Public Schools,” said BECEP Coordinator Valerie Bakken. “We want to make sure that even at the youngest age, any kid has the ability to play in any environment.”

The playground features several slides, tunnels, and a mini rock-climbing wall. There’s also a track for kids to ride their trikes on as well as padded carpet if they should happen to fall.

Brittany Zappone, who is an Instructional Aide at the BECEP Preschool, says the playground will over an opportunity for the kids to stay active throughout the school year.

“The kids are able to come in and play, ride trikes, and work on all their skills outside of the classroom as well,” she notes.

The former Child’s Hope Learning Center donated a majority of the funding for the construction of the new playground. Its former Director, Shelley Hauge, says the indoor playground will come in very handy when the seasons change outdoors.

“In North Dakota,” she adds, “it gets really cold in the Winter. We just wanted a better place for the kids to play.”

Bakken says she thinks the new playground is going to become a popular place for the kids at the BECEP Preschool — and that the teachers are going to have a hard time getting them back in the classrooms.

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