Honoring Culture Through Play:
Grand Opening of the Delaware Tribe CDC Playgrounds
We’re thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated playgrounds at the Delaware Tribe Childhood Development Center (CDC) in Bartlesville, OK—a project that beautifully blends thoughtful design with cultural heritage. What began as a challenging landscape with unsafe elevation changes has been transformed into a vibrant, inclusive, and educational outdoor environment for the center’s youngest learners.
Awarded through a competitive bid process, the project was led by Amber Fitzgerald, Happy Playgrounds Consultant and Designer. From the very start, the goal was clear: to create safe, developmentally appropriate play spaces that reflect and honor the Lenape (Delaware) culture, while meeting the daily needs of infants, toddlers, and pre-K children.
Designing for Every Age Group
The new playground consists of three distinct areas:
- Infant Area (0–1 years) : Gentle sensory spaces designed for early exploration
- Toddler Area (1–2 years) : Safe zones for new walkers to build strength and coordination
- Pre-K Area (2–5 years) : Challenging yet safe structures for adventurous, imaginative play
Each section was designed to promote sensory exploration, gross motor development, and social play, while also addressing safety concerns due to the original steep terrain.
By regrading and redesigning the space, the team created gentle, accessible play areas that are both stimulating and secure.
Infant Area: Learning Through Movement
In the Infant area, the babies are free to crawl, wobble, and explore at their own pace in a nurturing and open space.
Toddler Area: Sensory and Discovery Play
In the Toddler Area, children can explore a sensory maze wall, take a nap with the large sleeping bear tunnel climber, or climb across the steppers to see what animal they will discover.
Pre-K Area: Imaginative Adventures and cultural Touchpoints
In the Pre-K area, children can imagine flowing down the river in the canoes, flying with the butterflies in the play garden, or resting in the play huts that were designed from the Lenape culture.
Safety from the Ground Up
To support long-term maintenance and safety, over 12,000 square feet of synthetic turf was installed throughout the playground areas. This surfacing not only enhances accessibility and provides a soft, consistent play surface, it also significantly reduces maintenance needs.
Indoor Learning—Now Outside
Monica Fisher, Childcare Director at the CDC, had a visionary request: “Bring everything we do indoors, outside.”
And that’s exactly what we did. The renovated spaces now include:
- Outdoor classrooms
- Shaded napping and eating areas
- Nature-based creative play stations
Celebrating Lenape Culture
The Delaware Tribe, known as the Lenape, holds deep reverence for animals such as the wolf, turtle, and turkey—each representing different Lenape clans and values. We honored these symbols by installing custom animal climbers that help children learn and connect through imaginative play. These custom climbers aren’t just play equipment—they’re storytelling tools. Children interact with the wolf, turtle, and turkey, sparking conversations about clan identity, values, and traditions.
We also created outdoor learning panels in the Lenape language, weaving cultural education into the physical landscape. This effort supports the Tribe’s language revitalization mission and makes cultural pride part of everyday discovery.
A Place to Grow, Learn, and Belong
What was once a hazardous and underutilized space is now a cultural classroom, a nature play haven, and a safe retreat for exploration and growth. It reflects not just smart design—but the spirit of a community that deeply values its children, language, and traditions.
We’re honored to have played a part in this transformation—and excited to see how this space continues to enrich the lives of the children and families of the Delaware Tribe.
