Celebrating 10 years! In 2024, Space to Grow celebrated its 10th anniversary. To document this important milestone, Healthy Schools Campaign released a special report titled Space to Grow: A Decade of Transforming Chicago Schoolyards and Neighborhoods, highlighting the program’s impact. Read the full report here.

Space to Grow transforms Chicago schoolyards into beautiful and functional spaces to play, learn, garden and enjoy being outside. The schoolyards use special design elements to help reduce neighborhood flooding.

Each schoolyard includes spaces for physical activity and play, including turf fields, jogging tracks, basketball courts and play equipment for all ages. The grounds feature areas for outdoor learning and exploration, such as outdoor classrooms, native trees and plants, vegetable gardens and art installations. They also include special landscape features that hold and absorb large amounts of water.

Space to Grow is an innovative partnership founded by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, using a unique model that brings together capital funds and leadership from the Chicago Department of Water Management, Chicago Department of Environme

Each Space to Grow school engages in a months-long planning process during which school staff, students, parents, caregivers, and community members provide a vision for their schoolyard. The schoolyards are then designed and constructed to meet the unique needs and visions of each community and to mitigate flooding. Once schoolyard construction is complete, Space to Grow partners continue to support schools to help them maintain, enhance and maximize the educational benefits of their schoolyards.