Tour: Our Host Site

Joseph Howe School is a small school in a dynamic, inner-city neighborhood. The Halifax Developmental Centre for Early Learning is located in an upper wing of this beautiful little school and has been there for twenty-three years.

Both identities are a vibrant part of our community. Over the past number of years the two separate identities have become very close knit and have shared valuable resources. The Halifax Developmental Centre for Early Learning in partnership with Joseph Howe Elementary School has been working hard on a beautification project for the past couple of years.

Our combined main objective is to create a safe, welcoming, beautiful outdoor space where our children can learn and grow in an atmosphere of safety, respect and togetherness. We want our school ground to reflect our commitment to nature within the urban environment, our belief that many kinds of play are important, and our desire for our children to have natural beauty around them. In addition, students have expressed great interest an environment where they can participate in the conception and production of artworks for temporary and permanent display.

To date the following has been completed on our beautification project:

• New planters have been built, installed at the front of the school with native trees planted in them.


• Perennial gardens with the children being active participants.


• New planters have been built and installed at the entrance of the Developmental Centre with annuals that the children planted and water.


• Developmental Centre has prepared its land for the first completely installed accessible playground facility. Installation of the equipment will occur late in September 2005.


• Area has been developed for the sensory garden with design and development to occur in the spring of 2006.

Below are photos of our host site: