Playground purchase approved for Nodaway Valley preschool

Nodaway Valley preschoolers are expected to have a new play structure for recess beginning next school year.

The school board authorized the purchase of new playground equipment for the district’s youngest learners during its Wednesday, Jan. 16, meeting at the high school.

The playground equipment will cost $55,900. Through generous private donations totaling $22,580, the remaining $33,320 will be covered by the district. Key components to the fundraising were Brittany Groves and the Nodaway Valley Elementary Booster Club.

“We’ve been making do with what we have, but it’s pretty bare out there,” NV Elementary Principal James Larson said. “It’s also part of the standards we have to meet to have an adequate play structure for the kids.

“I think another part of it is just allowing them another space where they can run around and climb,” Larson added.

The standards Larson referenced come from the Quality Preschool Program Standards, through which the district’s preschool is accredited. Currently, preschoolers have access to only a few plastic toys for climbing during recess.

District leaders said failing to update the playground equipment could eventually place Nodaway Valley’s preschool accreditation at risk. Larson noted that a routine on-site audit of the preschool program is expected within the next year or two.

Staff, community members and parents worked alongside Larson to develop a list of needed items for the play area. The project will also include required groundwork and installation.

“A big thanks to everyone who donated money,” Larson said. “That’s quite a bit of money raised over the last couple of years.”

Superintendent Dr. Pam Stangeland commended Larson for leading the fundraising effort and emphasized the urgency of the project.

“The danger is you can say you’re in the process of doing it and they’ll give you a little bit of time,” Stangeland said. “But after a while, it is an Iowa preschool standard. If we don’t have the right things in place, they could come in and say we’re not compliant, and we’d be in major danger of losing accreditation for that program.

“We’ve been talking about this since I came in, and James has been pushing this really hard, as he should,” she added.

In other action, the board approved:

• Two pay applications to Boyd Jones

• A request for $199,337 in modified supplemental aid for the at-risk/dropout program

• An agreement with TrustPoint LLP of Fort Dodge for auditor services for fiscal years ending June 2025, 2026 and 2027