There’s practically nothing school children love more than playtime on the school yard but when the temperature rises, playing on the blacktop can be not just draining, but dangerous.
“Recess is one of my favorite parts of school because I get to play basketball, football, soccer and a lot of other things,” said fourth grader Nehemiah Johnson.
But the problem is, California schoolyards have very little shade.
“These blacktop areas can be as much as 30 degrees warmer than the grass area,” said Matthew Belasco of the Pittsburg Unified School District.
Cal Fire estimates the state’s average canopy coverage on school campuses is just 10%. So, they’re giving out grants to change that.
“Children are disproportionately more impacted by the heat because their bodies are smaller,” said Julia Godwin of the Cal Fire Urban Forestry Supervisor. “They’re much closer to the ground where it’s so hot.”
The Pittsburg Unified School District is one of the first to get the grant -- $1.6 million to plan much needed changes at its eight elementary school campuses.
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“I’d like to see some of our blacktop areas get some natural shade so kids have areas they can retreat from when it’s hot. I’d also like to see the areas that we see out here are large green turf areas I'd like to see them have some reforestation,” said Belasco.
The school district hopes to get a second round of Cal Fire funding to bring their plans to life.
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“Children are the next generation of us, so they definitely deserve to have school playgrounds and areas on the school where they can be able to enjoy without having to worry about being overheated,” said Belasco.
The kids say they’d love to have shady spaces and are excited to hear it’s in the works.
“I would thank them for putting it so when we’re like tired, we could go take a break for a little bit and when we feel ready we could go back,” said fourth grader Edwin Perez.
Pittsburg school officials estimate it could take up to two years to complete the transformation.
