On a breezy morning at KenCrest’s Kensington Center, the sound of giggles carries through the air. A group of preschoolers crouches near a patch of synthetic sand, digging, stacking blocks, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. There are no walls around them, just an open sky above and a new kind of classroom taking shape.
This vision of a vibrant outdoor learning center will soon be coming to KenCrest’s Kensington Center, thanks to a growing partnership between KenCrest and PNC Financial Services. What began as a conversation about the importance of outdoor play blossomed into a $60,000 grant and the construction of a dedicated outdoor classroom — a spacious, open-air portico equipped with tables, chairs, shelves, and tools for hands-on learning.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2026, and once finished, the space will provide students at the Kensington Center with an additional two and a half hours of outdoor time each week. For many families, that time is critical.
“Our kids often don’t have safe access to outdoor play after school,” explains Christina Stiles, the Assistant Executive Director. “This space makes it possible for them to explore, learn, and grow in nature, right at school.”
The classroom isn’t just about fresh air and sunshine. It’s about helping children build confidence, develop motor skills, and learn to regulate their senses in a space that feels safe and free. For children with sensory needs, natural light and open air can offer calming alternatives to indoor environments.
This project is a natural extension of KenCrest’s Early Learning Centers, where the mission goes far beyond academic readiness. Each center is built around the whole-child approach, supporting not just cognitive development, but also emotional wellbeing, social growth, physical health, and family connection. Our teachers and staff work closely with families to provide an inclusive classroom environment tailored to every learner. With the outdoor classroom, we’re creating even more opportunities to help children thrive — in every sense of the word.
Earlier this year, a group of KenCrest staff members traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with Trying Together, a nonprofit organization that promotes intentional play. The experience reinforced the importance of outdoor play and introduced new possibilities. During the trip, Christaline Camacho, the Program Coordinator at the Kensington Center and Stiles learned about a few schools using plastic trash cans as creative play materials, and outdoor spaces transformed into laboratories for exploration. They also visited PlayLab, a collaboration with the Life is Good brand, which showed how to blend fun and learning into every part of the day.
“During our visit, we learned that there was one school that purchased over 100 plastic trash cans from IKEA and put them on their playground. The children used them to climb, make pathways, use multiple colors to make patterns, stand on them, jump off of them, etc.” Stiles says. “It was a simple idea, but it creates risk, and most teachers are hesitant to encourage risky play. But children, to a degree, can feel when a situation is safe or unsafe. If they are climbing high and become unstable, they can identify that. If they step on something and it moves, they proceed with caution. We have to allow children the opportunity to play and explore those feelings they have inside their bodies.”
The possibility to explore different avenues of play became a reality thanks to the help of PNC. Through two decades of support, PNC has become a vital partner in KenCrest’s early learning and community building efforts. They’ve funded a new playground, built a lending library, and helped launch initiatives like Trauma Smart and Raising a Reader. This spring, volunteers from PNC visited KenCrest’s South Early Learning Center to read to children, deliver books, and present Lakeshore gift cards to teachers to keep classrooms stocked with new materials.
“This is just the beginning,” says Stiles. “We hope this classroom is the first of many. We would love for every KenCrest center to have a place like this — where children can grow, explore, and thrive right in the heart of their neighborhood.”
Christina Stiles, the Assistant Executive DIrector
During the pandemic, they even sent home activity kits so children that weren’t attending in person had access to learning materials.
“Everything done by PNC is with intention, and the children’s best interest at heart,” says Stiles. “It gives me hope that others will also follow in PNC’s footsteps and identify the importance of the early years and how development and learning is truly fostered during these years.”
Even before the classroom was fully designed, support began pouring in. The School District of Philadelphia unexpectedly sent outdoor learning kits to several centers, including Kensington, complete with easels, large double-sided magnetic walls with tunnels for exploring, water play tools, and more.
The new space is designed to resemble a traditional classroom, but with an outdoor setting. There will be areas for circle time, small-group activities, manipulatives, and even outdoor music, thanks to built-in speakers.
Teachers are encouraged to bring their lesson plans outdoors, integrating nature into everyday learning. And it’s not just the children who benefit. Educators are excited about new teaching possibilities. Families are grateful to have a secure place for their kids to play.
Everyone, from staff to supporters, is aligned around a single goal: providing children with more opportunities to learn and thrive.
“This is just the beginning,” says Stiles. “We hope this classroom is the first of many. We would love for every KenCrest center to have a place like this — where children can grow, explore, and thrive right in the heart of their neighborhood.”
KenCrest is already looking ahead, excited to capture the laughter, learning, and life that will unfold in this space without walls.
Because when learning begins under the open sky, the possibilities are endless.
