About Us
Design for Play offers it unique services in play environment design based on the child as the end client. This design approach is based on the philosophy of Pacific Oaks College’s and Bev Bos’ Roseville Preschool’s approach to child development and the needs of the child to engage with their environment. We believe that children are hungry for novel and complex environments that transcend what you can just pick out from a playground catalogue, and that playground environments should be functionally linked based on every domain of child development. We also approach our play environment designs with the knowledge that children require healthy and safe risks and challenges so that they can grow and develop appropriately.
Design for Play also believes that play environments are more than just simple playgrounds with which to keep children entertained, but that allow for rich learning environments that strengthen and enforce academic learning. Our approach to design play environments to be outdoor classrooms allow children to use the outdoors as developmental learning opportunities and a place were then can develop the peer to peer social skills that will follow them into their adult lives.
Design for Play approaches each and every job with a firm knowledge of safety and risk management, but with a healthy research based approach to how children develop and learn through their environment. Whether it is play environment design, playground inspections, and speaking engagement we approach it from the perspective of a child first philosophy.
Our Philosophy
The Starfish Story
Original Story by: Loren Eisley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”
Testimonials
Playground Design Consulting
“JC, thank you so much for your help with our playground, in Madera Ca. @ Sierra Vista Preschool–(The Discovery Playground) I have seen such a change with the children, (and the staff) they can not get enough of outdoor discovery.”
Josie Rigby
Director
Sierra Vista Preschool
“Mrs. Harris and I would like to thank you once again for your assistance with the handling of the First 5 Outdoor Play Initiative installation process. Therefore, we want you to know that we immensely appreciated your professional expertise. Your suggestions regarding the playground equipment and color selection, shading, surfacing, and all other matters, were very useful in helping us expedite the selection process. These selections would have been difficult to make without your assistance and patience. Mrs. Harris and I can be very particular about things, and can drive the sanest person crazy with our precise details and special requests, when making decisions about what is best for our children. However, you remained patient, and made sure that we chose equipment that is safe, and developmentally appropriate to meet the children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive developmental needs. We look forward to working with you again in the near future and we wish you well.”
Shirley J. Harris
Administrative Director
Jack and Jill’s Educational Center, Fresno, CA
“I’ve been the director at the Arcadia Episcopal Preschool for four years. It was my pleasure to recommend JC Boushh to any company that would consider using his services, because he consistently meets and often exceeds his job requirements. I have worked with him on several Projects. He was referred to me by another school in the community and had a reputation of being fair and honest. Originally, I employed him as a Playground inspector in of the evaluation our playground. He assisted us in understanding the regulations and worked with us in being in compliant with State guidelines. In addition he installed playground equipment for us, which we have been very satisfied with. At the current time we are working on a grant project to further develop our outside playground. JC Is an enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable about children and their needs. He listens carefully to your ideas and assists the client in relating the many different possibilities that are available. You’d be hard pressed to find an inspector/contractor, and I recommend him as an innovative and hard working individual.”
Marie Ostrowski
Director
Arcadia Episcopal Preschool
“JC Boushh of Design for Play, did an outstanding job for The Little Mud Puddles. He carefully put together a playground design for us of what we wanted and what he thought would work according to the new playground guidelines. His assessment of our playground was right on target. He listened to our concerns, needs, and our desires for a fun, safe playground. I am confident our playground will be in compliance to the new guidelines. His company specializes in playground planning projects to the final inspection. He was very meticulous with every detail, measurement, and aesthetics of our daycare playground. He never seemed inconvenienced to come up from the Los Angeles area to explain details to us or to re-measure the playground area. He is very professional and his work shows it. I would highly recommend him for any type of job on playgrounds.”
Darlene Johnston-Mathers
The Little Mud Puddle’s Daycare Center Inc., Fremont, CA
Speaking
“Mr. JC Boushh of Designed for Play, has presented workshops at both ACSI’s Northern California Teachers Convention and Early Education Conference. We have been so pleased to have him as a resource for our schools and his seminars have been well attended and have received excellent evaluations.
Mr. Boushh has also been a regular contributor to our regional newsletter, writing articles educating school administrators on key issues in playground safety. His efforts in this area have made our newsletter a valuable source of information on topics that are essential for our schools.
Mr. Boushh’s expertise is enhanced by his personable manner. At our last Early Childhood Conference, I was actually stopped in the hallway by a preschool director who wanted to thank me for having invited Mr. Boushh to present seminars for ACSI. She had invited him to speak to her school about playground safety and renovation issues and shared with me in glowing terms the significant contribution he had made for their school and for her as a professional. It was delight to hear how Mr. Boushh was making a difference for our schools.”
Leanne Leak
Assistant Director of Early Education
ACSI Northern California/Hawaii Region
Association of Christian Schools International
“I met JC Boushh about 3 or 4 years ago at an NAEYC convention. We had several lively conversations about the value of play for both children and adults; about play spaces that invite exploration and learning; and how children are being cheated on play time. In the process of our conversations JC became quite interested in Pacific Oaks College and we made arrangements for him to be a guest speaker in my play class.
OH!!!! What a fortuitous arrangement! JC is a fantastic speaker and the PowerPoint presentation he developed as part of his presentation is exquisite! My students were deeply impressed at the variety of play spaces for children AND adults; especially how the environments create a sense of wonderment for all who enter them. JC did such an outstanding job of inviting his audience into the realm of play that I was in fear for my job! Just kidding for now! When he completes his Master’s degree then I may have to turn that class over to him on a full time basis. I feel honored that JC has agreed to be a regular speaker/guest lecturer for this course, and my new crop of students is eagerly awaiting his visit this year.
Seriously, JC has an incredible knowledge of the dynamics of play-based curriculum, how to translate knowledge of children’s developmental stages into environments that invite and encourage learning, exploration, and respect for the space. He addresses playground safety, one of the main many adults have, in a sensitive manner that both respects the adults’ concerns and yet demonstrates ways to incorporate safety and accountability into positive rationale for developing spaces that allow children to take risks and learn mastery over their bodies and the play equipment.”
ReGena M. Booze, Ph.D.
Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, CA
Audit-Inspection Services
“Our school recently contracted with Mr. JC Boushh to perform the State-required safety inspection of our playground. Mr. Boushh was thorough, professional, knowledgeable, and helpful to us and was timely in providing the finished report. I accompanied him on the inspection and he explained and demonstrated the various aspects of the safety requirements and why they are necessary. I heartily recommend Mr. Boushh to schools and organizations who need this service.”
Richard Brown
Principal
Santa Fe Springs Christian School, Santa Fe Springs, CA
“Design for Play did an inspection of our playgrounds in July of 2005. They did an excellent job. Mr. JC Boushh did a thorough walk through and inspected every thing in the yards. I was very impressed with the professional manner in which he conducted the inspection. I was very pleased with the inspection and would highly recommend him and his company to do the job that they are very skilled in.”
Leonila Jones
Director
Del Amo Christian Pre-School, Long Beach, CA
“I would like to express my gratitude to JC Boushh for helping me out in our playground inspection. I met JC at a conference, I was impressed with his presentation and took his card and the name of the company he was working for. JC came out to my school, did an inspection and explained the inspection as he did it. I received the written report within a week. JC walked me through all the steps and was very informative. I appreciated all he did for me.”
