Playground Safety at Commercial Childcare Centers

1. Playground Safety at Commercial Childcare Centers Four KEY areas where direct attention can significantly reduce the risk of injury to children. The advice provided in this presentation was developed from reliable sources and from practical experience in the industry. However, Thomco, LLC cannot accept legal liability for the thoroughness of the material as it relates to practical applications at playgrounds. Although the advice is intended to help improve playground safety at childcare centers it is not intended to address all potential hazards or scenarios at a playground.

2. Key 1: Supervision

3. Play time for the children IS NOT break time for employees. Outside play time is a great change of scenery for the teachers AND the children. It should not be thought of as rest time for teachers. Children are more excited and active when outside which increases the chances of injury. If adult supervision DECREASES as child excitability INCREASES…

4. Accidents Happen! Each play area should have an adult supervisor Playgrounds should NOT be set up with teacher sitting areas as this tends to minimize the importance of the need for supervision Caregivers should watch for child behavior that tends to lead to injuries: running, not paying attention to nearby swings, arguing over toys, children pushing other children, line battles, etc.

5. Supervision, Continued: Teacher supervisors must pay attention to keeping toddler children out of areas where older children are playing. A common playground injury includes children running into other children when a child less experienced in walking cannot get out of the way of a running 3 or 4 year old. Prior to heading to the playground a quick clothing check should take place. Things to look for: necklaces, drawstrings, ear-rings, loose belts, untied shoes Supervise child traffic at the end of slides and in front of swing sets Enforce proper use of equipment, for example: children should not be allowed to climb up the sliding surface Teachers should be stationed where they can see children in the crawl spaces and on the equipment There should not be any areas where children can easily get out of sight of teachers as this increases the chance for abuse allegations

6. Key components of supervision Pre-Supervision and Active Monitoring

7. Pre-Supervision An adult should enter the playground area BEFORE the children are allowed to enter the area. A quick inspection for any obvious, out of the ordinary hazards should take place prior to children being allowed onto playgrounds

8. Active Monitoring “Active” requires that monitoring children on the playground is INTENTIONAL Proper positioning: allows supervisor to see children from different angles, changing locations in the play area allows for closer supervision Scanning: supervisors should look up, down, right, left, over and under to see all areas of the play environment Eye contact with children often can prevent unruly behavior that leads to injuries

9. Key 2:Age Appropriate Equipment Design

10. Equipment for children aged 2 to 5 years should be separate from play equipment for children 5 to 12 years old. Signs in the play area will help reinforce teacher instruction on age appropriate play equipment Resist the temptation to move advanced younger children to older group play areas If possible fences should separate age appropriate play areas from each other

11. Platforms on equipment: Are intended to allow children to change direction and get off the equipment if they want to Should have appropriate guardrails: Minimum of 38” high for school age children 5-12 Minimum of 29” high for Preschoolers 2-5 y.o.

12. Design and Supports Equipment design should prevent the possibility of climbing on the “outside” of the structure Supports for the equipment should prevent children from climbing on the outside of the structure

13. Cautions about Head Entrapment: General rule of thumb is that ALL OPENINGS in guardrails, between ladder rungs and similar openings should be: Less than 3.5” More than 9” Openings between those ranges can allow a child’s head to become trapped in the space

14. Key 3:“Fall” Zones 

15. Height + Children + Gravity = Falls “Fall” zones should be created due to the common event of children falling Proper fall zones should NOT allow for less teacher supervision Supervision helps prevent falls Fall Zone Guidelines are established to prevent life threatening head injuries

16. Physics: “It’s a matter of physics. The higher the fall and harder the surface, the worse the injury.” E. Henzy

17. Equipment Height Recommendations Preschool children should play on equipment no higher than 6 feet maximum School aged children (5-12y.o.) should play on equipment no higher than 8 feet maximum

18. Playground Injury Statistics Each year more than 15 children die in playground related incidents An estimated 205,850 playground related injuries result in hospital emergency room visits Approximately 75.8% of playground injuries in 1999 occurred on playgrounds designed for public use Fractures are most commonly reported injuries accounting for 39% of all injuries Approximately 80% of reported fractures involve the wrist, lower arm, or elbow Approximately 79% of injuries that occurred involved falling from playground equipment onto the ground below the equipment

19. Material Types Loose Fill Material And Unitary

20. Loose Fill Material Organic including wood chips, bark mulch, and engineered wood fibers Should be replaced over time, may allow for bugs and weed growth, require retaining structures, and should be shifted regularly to provide maximum protection from fall impacts

21. Loose Fill Material Inorganic including sand, pea gravel, and more recently - shredded tires Sand has problems when wet and with floor abrasions Pea gravel has problems with curious children placing stones in various body cavities Shredded tires are inconsistently processed in the past so problems with clothes stains arose

22. Unitary Material Particles are bonded together through heating or cooling processes or with the use of a bonding agent or adhesive These materials are costly to install and over time require costly maintenance

23. Important factor is Shock-Absorption Characteristics Depth of material needed depends on height of equipment Recommendations include: 9 to 12 inches of wood chips for equipment 7 to 8 feet high 6 inches minimum of wood chips for equipment 6 feet high and lower

24. Practical tips: Use a straight ruler pushed into the material to measure depth Feel the material move under your feet, if there is no “give” you need more surfacing Consider 8” PVC connected to contain loose fill material

25. Key 4: Equipment Maintenance Inspect Playground equipment for the following: Broken or missing parts Protruding bolts or fixtures Dangerous gaps that can catch drawstrings or entrap body parts Gaps between 3.5 inches and 9 inches create special hazards

26. Cont’d, Inspect Equipment for: Rust on metal parts Splinters on wood pieces Cracks and holes in plastic equipment

27. Regular Inspections: Designate people responsible for routine and more thorough inspections Use checklists to mark areas inspected and take notes for future maintenance concerns Keep files of inspections with dates which will provide for defense of some claims

28. For more information: Visit the following websites: www.playgroundsafety.org www.cpsc.gov www.kidchecker.org