OPS, RiverValley unveil inclusive communication boards at playgrounds

Owensboro Public Schools and RiverValley Behavioral Health have teamed up to make local playgrounds more inclusive, unveiling new Playground Communication Boards this week at Cravens Elementary.

The boards, now installed at all five OPS elementary schools and Hager Preschool, are visual tools designed to help students of all abilities interact and communicate during play. Each features colorful symbols paired with words, allowing children with speech delays, autism, or other communication challenges to express themselves and engage more fully with peers and teachers.

“Communication is the cornerstone of how we interact with others,” said Cate Gaddis, vice president of operations at RiverValley Behavioral Health. “This provides a great avenue to ensure that all children are able to communicate and have their wants and needs known.”

Cravens Elementary Principal Natalie Ellis said the idea began more than a year ago, when she served as a transition specialist at Owensboro High School. Working with Director of Special Education Carrie Wedding, Employment Specialist Chris Heil, and local partners, Ellis helped bring the project from concept to reality.

“It was a project we were given to see if we could replicate a communication board for our school playground,” Ellis said. “We reached out to RiverValley, Parks and Recreation, and Velotta Design, as well as our speech pathologists, to come up with something that could bridge the gap between schools and the community.”

Ellis said the boards already are making a difference for students who have difficulty communicating.

“We have several nonverbal or limitedly verbal students, and we just wanted a way for them to communicate with their peers, teachers, or caregivers,” she said. “Sometimes not being able to communicate causes frustration, so we were hoping these boards would alleviate that and create more open communication between students and adults.”

Through RiverValley’s generosity, the initiative will extend beyond school grounds. Eleven city playgrounds will soon feature communication boards as well, thanks to a partnership with Owensboro Parks & Recreation.

“We don’t want inclusion to stop at the schools,” Gaddis said. “We want to include families at the parks as well.”

Students at Cravens Elementary helped celebrate the unveiling, with several sharing prepared remarks about the importance of inclusion and communication for all children.