Tubman Elementary's playground is over 15 years old and too small for our growing school. Our community is coming together to build a playground where every child — students, siblings, and neighborhood kids alike — can run, climb, and grow.
Get InvolvedTubman Elementary is an authorized wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate World School and a CPS Fine & Performing Arts Magnet Cluster school in Lakeview. Our students come from 40 zip codes, speak 20 languages, and represent 50 countries.
While Lakeview is 74% white with a median household income of $104K, Tubman's families are racially, economically, and culturally diverse — a rare and remarkable reflection of Chicago at its best.1
Our current structure is over 15 years old. Key features like the climbing web break regularly and remain unusable for months. It's time for something new.
The current structure fits fewer than 20 students at a time. A large amount of unused concrete and dirt space surrounds it — space that's ready to be reimagined.
Like other recent school playground projects across Chicago, this will be a community-funded effort — families, neighbors, and local partners coming together. Senator Sara Feigenholtz has recognized this urgent need, helping secure a $100K state grant to jumpstart the campaign.
Today's structure serves mainly younger students. Grades 4–8 have almost nothing. We're designing play spaces that serve the whole school, pre-K through 8.
Tubman students and the community need a safe, fun area to play — and that's exactly what we're building together.
Join us in building something extraordinary.Student voice and community feedback will drive the design process from day one.
Incorporate and grow the existing learning garden into the new outdoor space.
Structures that appeal to students pre-K–8, not just the youngest learners.
Designed so every student — regardless of ability — can play and belong.
A new overall design to transform unused concrete and dirt into active play zones.
Benches and breakout spaces so kids can pause, socialize, and reset.
Research shows school playgrounds are crucial for holistic child development — benefiting physical health, academic performance, mental well-being, and social skills.
We need to raise $750,000 to make this a reality. Every dollar brings us closer to a playground for our students, their families, and the neighborhood kids who stop by to play.
Online giving opens soon
We're setting up secure online donations. In the meantime, reach out at friendsoftubman@gmail.com to give by check or ACH.
Questions? Reach us at friendsoftubman@gmail.com
Friends of Tubman is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.