The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians recently awarded Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare a $450,000 grant to fund an onsite interactive musical playground for children with disabilities.

The structure, expected in late 2023, is under construction and will include objects that patients can utilize as instruments such as pebbles, a water harp, a staircase, and more. The grounds will be used to work with children on speech, motor, and social skills and features instruments, sculptures and tactile pieces with sensors that provide audio-visual queues for users. The hardware is designed with input from Casa Colina’s team of licensed physical, occupational, and speech therapists.

“The overarching goal of the Musical Playground is to enhance our ability to provide pediatric therapies while increasing access to music for children with disabilities — a historically marginalized population,” Michele Alaniz, an occupational therapist and director of Casa Colina’s Children’s Services Center, said in a statement. “By adding this first-of-its-kind clinical tool, we not only improve our ability to keep young clients engaged and having fun during therapies, but we now have a customizable clinical tool that can be adjusted to meet each child’s unique needs and preferences.”

In addition to the playground, the grant also supports clinician training on the new software.

Casa Colina is at 255 E Bonita Ave., Pomona. Visit casacolina.org to learn more.