Variety school grants help schools adapt or improve their spaces to support different learning styles and accessibility needs
“A couple of other schools used their Variety grants to get desk bikes,” says Megan Hurd, an executive member of Arrowview Elementary School’s parent advisory council. “So I reached out to them to see how successful the bikes were with the kids, and they responded that they couldn’t have enough of them.”
Megan and the other members of Arrowview’s PAC are excited about the new desk bikes and how they’re improving the learning environment for many of the kids. “A lot of our kids are really kinesthetic learners,” she says. “They need movement throughout the day and this is just such an amazing outlet for it. They’ve been crazy popular since we put them in.”
As August gives way to September, the energy shifts. Loose summer plans give way to calendar schedules, to do lists, and back to school mode. At Variety, our team members are returning from vacations and getting ready for our fall fundraising campaign. Our Variety school grants have also re-opened this September—a tangible way of improving inclusion in schools.
We partner with BC schools to help them adapt or improve their classrooms, buildings and playgrounds to support different learning styles and accessibility needs. Last school year, we approved 47 school grants. That’s close to $196,000 invested in inclusive education in schools across BC! Schools received funding for:
- Sensory room equipment
- Adaptive classroom furniture like desk bikes and tricycles
- Communication boards
- Bucket and disk swings
- Sensory paths
- …and more!
Together, these grants have reached over 10,900 students—helping classrooms and playgrounds adapt to better serve a wider range of kids’ needs.
Thanks to passionate parent fundraising and another Variety grant, Arrowview Elementary School has already invested in several sensory spaces. Their five new desk bikes are the latest addition. These quiet, durable bikes allow students to move and self regulate while still participating in class.
“They’re not missing any classroom time, the teachers aren’t needing to come up with any alternate choices. And I just think it’s a great tool for the kids to self identify when they’re wanting a movement break,” says Megan.
The desk bikes are helpful for lots of different kids. For instance, a study from Western University showed that movement helps promote blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, an area that’s often underactive in people with ADHD. Getting the blood flowing helps kids pay better attention, making tools like a desk bike effective for focus and learning.
“Inclusion is a huge part of our PAC,” Megan says. “We want our whole school to be welcoming, inviting, inclusive. We want everyone to feel at home there and we want to make things as barrier-free as possible.”
If you’re parent thinking about ways to improve your child’s learning experience, or an educator wanted to explore more inclusive options for your school, the Variety school grants offer a way to make costly adaptations more affordable. Your school could be eligible for a grant this fall!
Every school has unique needs, and it can take some time to figure out the problems and find the right solutions for each environment.
Arrowview’s PAC connected with teachers, school staff, and parents to identify the key needs. They asked questions like: What would they like to see in the school? What would make kids’ school days better, easier, more accessible and enjoyable? They collected all the ideas they received and explored ways to respond. Fundraising for expensive equipment can often be a challenge, and the Variety school grant helped make the goal more attainable.
“It’s going to be really school specific,” says Megan. The key is to listen to everyone involved and keep brainstorming until you find an option that’s a good fit for your particular school and its students.