Toolkit for Integrating Healthy Physical and Mental
Development in Early Learning Guidelines
Health and Safety Topic #15: Outdoor Playground Safety
Caring for Our Children (CFOC) Standards and Healthy Kids, Healthy Care Links [Tips for Parents]
Selected States’ Early Learning Guidelines
State Assessment

CFOC Standard(s):

Playing Outdoors-2.009

Children shall play outdoors daily when weather and air quality conditions do not pose a significant health risk. Outdoor play for infants may include riding in a carriage or stroller; however, infants shall be offered opportunities for gross motor play outdoors, as well.
Weather that poses a significant health risk shall include wind chill at or below 15 degrees F and heat index at or above 90 degrees F, as identified by the National Weather Service.
Air quality conditions that pose a significant health risk shall be identified by announcements from local health authorities or through ozone (smog) alerts. Such air quality conditions shall require that children remain indoors where air conditioners ventilate indoor air to the outdoors. Children with respiratory health problems such as asthma shall not play outdoors when local health authorities announce that the air quality is approaching unhealthy levels.
Children shall be protected from the sun by using shade, sun-protective clothing, and sunscreen with UVB-ray and UVA-ray protection of SPF-15 or higher, with permission as described in STANDARD 3.081, during outdoor play. Before prolonged physical activity in warm weather, children shall be well-hydrated and shall be encouraged to drink water during the activity. In warm weather, children's clothing shall be light-colored, lightweight, and limited to one layer of absorbent material to facilitate the evaporation of sweat. Children shall wear sun-protective clothing, such as hats, long-sleeved shirts and pants, when playing outdoors between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM.
In cold weather, children's clothing shall be layered and dry. Caregivers shall check children's extremities for maintenance of normal color and warmth at least every 15 minutes when children are outdoors in cold weather.

Design of Play Equipment-5.181

Play equipment shall be of safe design and in good repair. Outdoor climbing equipment and swings shall be set in concrete footings located at least 6 inches below ground surface. Swings shall have soft and flexible seats. Access to play equipment shall be limited to age groups for which the equipment is developmentally appropriate.

Prohibited Surfaces for Placing Climbing Equipment-5.183

Equipment used for climbing shall not be placed over, or immediately next to, hard surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, dirt, grass, or flooring covered by carpet or gym mats not intended for use as surfacing for climbing equipment.
All pieces of playground equipment shall be surrounded by a shock-absorbing surface. This material may be either the unitary or the loose-fill type, as defined by the guidelines of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the standard of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), extending at least 6 feet beyond the perimeter of the stationary equipment. These shock-absorbing surfaces must conform to the standard stating that the impact of falling from the height of the structure will be less than or equal to peak deceleration 200G and a Head Injury Criterion (HIC) of 1000 (63). Organic materials that support colonization of molds and bacteria shall not be used. This standard applies whether the equipment is installed outdoors or indoors.

Enclosure of Moving Parts on Play Equipment-5.184

All pieces of play equipment shall be designed so moving parts (swing components, teeter-totter mechanism, spring-ride springs, and so forth) will be shielded or enclosed.

Material Defects and Edges on Play Equipment-5.185

All pieces of play equipment shall be free of sharp edges, protruding parts, weaknesses, and flaws in material construction. Sharp edges in wood, metal, or concrete shall be rounded to a minimum of inch radius on all edges. Wood materials shall be sanded smooth and shall be inspected regularly for splintering.

Entrapment Hazards of Play Equipment-5.186

All pieces of play equipment shall be designed to guard against entrapment or situations that may cause strangulation by being too large for a child's head to get stuck or too small for a child's head to fit into. Openings in exercise rings shall be smaller than 3½ inches or larger that 9 inches in diameter. A play structure shall have no openings with a dimension between 3½ inches and 9 inches. In particular, side railings, stairs, and other locations where a child might slip or try to climb through shall be checked for appropriate dimensions.
Protrusions such as pipes or wood ends that may catch a child's clothing are prohibited. Distances between two vertical objects that are positioned near each other shall be 3½ inches or less to prevent entrapment of a child's head. No opening shall have a vertical angle of less than 55 degrees. To prevent entrapment of fingers, no openings shall be larger than 3/8 inch or smaller than 1 inch.

Removal of Hazards from Outdoor Areas-5.194

All outdoor activity areas shall be maintained in a clean and safe condition by removing:
  1. Debris;
  2. Dilapidated structures;
  3. Broken or worn play equipment;
  4. Building supplies and equipment;
  5. Glass;
  6. Sharp rocks;
  7. Stumps and roots;
  8. Twigs;
  9. Toxic plants;
  10. Anthills;
  11. Beehives and wasp nests;
  12. Unprotected ditches;
  13. Wells;
  14. Holes;
  15. Grease traps;
  16. Cisterns;
  17. Cesspools;
  18. Unprotected utility equipment;
  19. Other injurious material.
Holes or abandoned wells within the site shall be properly filled or sealed. The area shall be well-drained, with no standing water.
A maintenance policy for playgrounds and outdoor areas shall be established and followed.

HKHC Link(s):

Injury Prevention

Playground Safety


STRAND 3: SAFETY
Concept 1: Safety, Injury Prevention
Child demonstrates knowledge of personal safety practices and routines.
Children demonstrate awareness and understanding of personal and environmental safety rules and how to keep themselves safe. These principles should be relevant to Arizona and to the community/region in which the child lives.
Indicators:
a.
  • Playground safety
Examples in the Context of Daily Routines, Activities, and Play:
  • Child keeps a safe distance from moving swings.
  • Child goes down the slide feet first.

For references to the state early learning guidelines used see State Early Learning Guidelines Used in Examples

Outdoor Playground Safety Content:

Content absent

Content to be strengthened

Content approaches CFOC
Action Plan
     


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