Kiwanis volunteers spruce up natural playground at Pontiac Children's Learning Center

The natural playground at Oakland Family Services’ Children’s Learning Center in Pontiac looks sharp for the 2020-21 school year, thanks to volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of South Oakland County and Metro Detroit Young Professionals Kiwanis.

The groups joined forces on Aug. 29 to spread mulch and spruce up the playground for the preschoolers, toddlers and school-aged children enrolled in the center’s preschool and childcare programs this year.

“Oakland Family Services is focused on kids, and that’s what the Kiwanis group is all about — helping the community and families,” said Lisa Brown, secretary of the Kiwanis Club of South Oakland County. “The South Oakland club is fairly new, so we’re just trying to get involved where we can.”

Angela Liegghio, Oakland Family Services’ early childhood education program coordinator, said the Children’s Learning Centers value their partnership with the local Kiwanis groups.

“Over the past few years, they have done so much to support our centers, painting and cleaning our classrooms, grounds clean-up and playground maintenance, and even planned and volunteered at events for our families,” Liegghio said. “This pandemic has certainly presented many unique challenges and limitations, and we are so appreciative for all of the time and work of this group.”

Oakland Family Services offers well-planned volunteer projects with clear direction that make it easy for volunteers to get involved, said Robert Allen, president of Metro Detroit Young Professionals Kiwanis.

“We really like what Oakland Family Services does, and especially how it has well-organized opportunities,” Allen said. “It’s one organization that we’re always happy to go back to.”

The natural playgrounds at our Children’s Learning Centers in Pontiac and Walled Lake encourage children’s development through unstructured play. The open space and thoughtfully chosen materials encourage children to engage in imaginative play and sensory exploration while developing both their gross and fine motor skills.

Our Children’s Learning Centers still have preschool spots open for the 2020-21 school year! Click here to learn more.