Nearly 50 Kaiser Permanente volunteers recently poured cement, built benches, and painted murals with other community groups to transform the schoolyard at REACH Academy, a public elementary school in East Oakland.

Whether they were sawing, sanding, painting, or pouring, the energy was high, and the community spirit was palpable.

“As a product of public schools, this is a project that’s near and dear to my heart,” said Dante Green, FACHE, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente East Bay. “This is an amazing opportunity to give back to our public schools and invest in the children who go to school here and the greater Oakland community.”

Making a difference for students and the community

Kaiser Permanente is partnering with Eat. Learn. Play. and the nonprofit KABOOM! to turn Oakland schoolyards into enriching playgrounds and outdoor learning spaces. The REACH playground build is one of several projects funded by a $2.5 million grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation. The funding is part of a larger commitment that Kaiser Permanente has made to the health and vitality of Oakland.

Kaiser Permanente’s investment in revitalizing schoolyards is aiming to create safe places for children to play. The new playground also will serve surrounding neighborhoods, with the aim of improving the health and well-being of all the children who live nearby.

In Oakland, 86% of youth are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, according to the State of Play Oakland report that Eat. Learn. Play. conducted with the Aspen Institute in 2022. Having access to play spaces provides mental, social-emotional, and academic benefits that serve children throughout their lives, the report added.

REACH Academy marked the 15th schoolyard build for Eat.Learn.Play., which is working to revitalize 25 Oakland public schoolyards by the end of the 2026 school year.  Kaiser Permanente’s grant is funding 18 of those playground builds.

Volunteers hard at work

Kaiser Permanente volunteer Jose Herrarte, a product manager for KPIT, set up benches placed near shady trees. He and his team covered the yard with mulch.

“Our mission is to make lives better for people, and this is just another example of how Kaiser Permanente is doing that,” he said. “We’re showing we can all do our part and make a big difference.”

Nearby, Dianne Larios, RN, who works on a stroke unit at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, built wooden benches with a group of her colleagues.

“This day has been a truly rewarding experience,” she said. “I’m from East Oakland. Seeing and participating in building a playground for kids is such a heartwarming experience.”

Pavna Sloan, DNP, chief nurse executive for Kaiser Permanente Oakland and Richmond, stressed the importance of pausing from everyday life to support the community.

“Every single time I drive by this school in the future, I’m going to look at this playground and know that I made a difference.”