ACF Banner
[NCCIC header image][NCCIC Header Image]

Playground Design and Safety

The following is a sample of organizations and resources that have information related to developing and maintaining safe, appropriate, and accessible outdoor play/learning environments for children, including children with disabilities. The resources address materials selection, design, and supervision of outdoor spaces. Types of resources include safety checklists, online training materials, and informational materials for staff and families. Web links to State licensing requirements and health and safety standards for child care programs are included. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

Federal Agencies

  • The Access Board
    The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
    800-872-2253
    www.access-board.gov

    The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Key responsibilities of this board include the following: developing and maintaining accessibility requirements for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and electronic and information technology; providing technical assistance and training on these guidelines and standards; and enforcing accessibility standards for federally funded facilities. The following Access Board document relates to playground safety:

    • Guide to ADA Accessibility: Guidelines for Play Areas (May 2001) helps designers and operators use the accessibility guidelines for play areas. These guidelines establish minimum accessibility requirements for newly constructed and altered play areas. It provides specifications for elements within a play area to create a general level of usability for children with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that children with disabilities are generally able to access the diversity of components provided in a play area. This resource is available at www.access-board.gov/play/guide/guide.pdf.
  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
    800-638-2772
    www.cpsc.gov

    CPSC has many publications about consumer products and safety issues. For items on specific topics or a list of all publications, contact CPSC. The following CPSC publications relate to playground safety:

    • “Tips for Public Playground Safety” (1995), Fact Sheet Publication # 324, offers consumers playground safety tips and is available at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/Playfct.pdf.
    • The Public Playground Safety Handbook (April 2008) offers detailed information about how to analyze play equipment and arrangements for safety. This resource is available at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf.

National Organizations

  • ASTAM International
    610-832-9585
    www.astm.org

    ASTM, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, has information about the development of high-quality international standards. It provides detailed information about playground site and surface testing standards, including Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use Standard F 1487-93 and Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment Standard F 1292-95.

  • Boundless Playgrounds
    860-243-8315
    www.boundlessplaygrounds.org

    Boundless Playgrounds provides coaching and support in project management, universal play environment design, community partnerships, volunteer recruitment, community relations, promotion, and fundraising. It helps create conceptual and equipment-specific play environment designs after identifying project priorities with stakeholders in each community. The organization also coordinates with local landscape architects, engineers, and other professionals who provide local project services for a fee or on a pro-bono basis.

  • KaBoom!
    202-659-0215
    www.kaboom.org

    KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that specializes in linking individuals, communities, and corporations together to build safe and accessible playgrounds. Through this team effort, KaBoom! helps communities create a model of partnerships that achieve positive and sustainable changes in neighborhoods nationwide. It also provides hands-on technical assistance, comprehensive playground manuals and worksheets, and other written materials to guide the process toward community-designed, community-built playgrounds. The following publication is available from KaBoom!:

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
    800-424-2460
    http://naeyc.org

    NAEYC is a nonprofit membership organization for those interested in early childhood care and education. The organization produces a resource catalog listing brochures, books, and videos, and has a number of useful resources for planning safe and appropriately challenging outdoor play areas. These include the following:

    • “Supporting Outdoor Play for Young Children: The Zone Model of Playground Supervision” (September 2007), in Young Children Vol. 62, No. 5, by Petra Kern and Linn Wakeford, is an article that describes a model playground supervision approach used at the Frank Porter Graham Child Care Program. The playground is divided into zones with adult-assigned roles for intervention for children with special needs. Action cards for each zone define supervision duties, identify safety concerns, suggest play activities, list supplies, and describe maintenance and cleanup procedures. The article includes tips for teachers organizing similar playground models. Information is available at
      www.journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=3258&sesID=1222297765030.
    • “Paying Attention to the Outdoor Environment Is as Important as Preparing the Indoor Environment” (May 2002), in Young Children Vol. 57, No. 3, by Karen DeBord, Linda Hestenes, Robin Moore, and Nilda Cosco, describes a new instrument to assess the quality of outdoor environments for preschoolers. The Preschool Outdoor Environment Assessment Scale covers five domains: physical environment, interactions, activity areas, program, and teacher/caregiver roles. Additional information is available at www.journal.naeyc.org/search/item-detail.asp?page=1&docID=2716&sesID=1119894209445.
    • Playgrounds: Safe & Sound is a brochure that provides injury prevention information related to supervision of children, equipment safety, surfacing materials, and awareness of developmentally appropriate playground environments. Additional information is available at http://naeyc.org/shoppingcart .
    • The Great Outdoors: Restoring Children’s Right to Play Outside (1995), by Mary S. Rivkin, describes exciting playgrounds in the U nited States and other countries, and provides practical information about safety, accessibility, and curriculum. Additional information is available at http://naeyc.org/shoppingcart .
  • The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)
    800-554-PLAY ( National Information Hotline)
    www.playgroundsafety.org

    NPPS takes an active part in injury prevention. In this role, it promotes the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Playground Injuries; serves as a recognized national clearinghouse for playground safety information; shares cutting-edge information as a global resource through its Web page; conducts ongoing research in the area of injury prevention; houses the largest compilation of playground-related publications and documents in the country; sponsors an annual National Playground Safety Week; produces educational videos addressing the roles of various audiences in injury prevention; and serves as a technical resource for parent groups, schools, communities, child care centers, government officials, children’s organizations, and other educators.

  • National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)
    www.nrpa.org/

    NRPA is a professional and citizen organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation, and conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. NRPA promotes public awareness and support for recreation, park, and leisure services as they relate to the social stability of a community and the physical and mental health of individuals. NRPA strives to promote public awareness of the environmental and natural resource management aspects of recreation and leisure services.

    • National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI)

      NRPA’s Playground Safety Institute is designed for staff from park and recreation agencies, school districts, child care facilities, health departments, landscape architects, playground manufacturers, installers or contractors, insurance firms, consumers and others responsible for play equipment areas or playgrounds. Information about the Institute, training dates, and locations is available at www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5129 .

      • The Dirty Dozen: A Checklist for Safe Playgrounds

        NPSI has identified 12 of the leading causes of injuries on playgrounds in a brochure that identifies and discusses the most common safety concerns of playgrounds. The checklist can be used to inspect playgrounds for safety issues. An online audio/visual review of the top 12 safety concerns for playgrounds, appropriate for employees, parents, educators, and the general public, is available at http://drdz.nrpa.simlms.com/DirtyDozen/DirtyDozen.html. Additional information about The Dirty Dozen is available at www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5140.

  • Nature Explore
    Arbor Day Foundation
    www.arborday.org/explore/index.cfm

    Nature Explore is a program of resources to help educators, families, and others working to connect young children with nature. Its Web site provides information and resources, including idea books, training offerings, and traveling exhibits. Information about designing, building, and certifying Nature Explore Classrooms is also included.

  • North Carolina Cooperative Extension
    North Carolina State University
    www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/Child.html

    This Web site provides information about child development, including outdoor environments  and has links to the following resources:

    • Domains of Quality Outdoor Environments, describes the physical outdoor environment, interactions, play and learning settings, program, and the teacher/caregiver role. This resource is available at www.poemsnc.org.
    • Preschool Outdoor Environments Measurement Scale (POEMS), is a checklist, reference, and guide for teachers/caregivers/administrators and includes pictures, fact sheets, and additional resources. This resource is available at www.poemsnc.org.
    • Playground Safety Training provides training materials for trainers conducting playground safety training, including a training outline, handouts, PowerPoint presentation with notes, and training tips. It is available at
      www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/human/ playsafe/.

Additional Resources

  • Playground Design and Equipment ( June 2008), by Linda Cain Ruth, for the Whole Building Design Guide, includes information about safety, design, materials, accessibility, and estimating costs. It provides case studies , information on relevant codes and standards, and a model playground. This resource is available at www.wbdg.org/ resources/playground.php .
  • Natural Playscapes, Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul, by Rusty Keeler, published by Exchange Press (2008) describes how children relate to the natural world and gives many examples from around the world of how early childhood professionals and parents have planned and constructed natural playscapes. Included are blueprints, step by step instructions, and tip sheets for free and nearly free resources. A free sample and ordering information are available at
    https://secure.ccie.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4000509.
  • Creating Playgrounds for Early Childhood Facilities (July 2005), a Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK) Resource Guide, by Mav Pardee, Amy Gillman, and Cindy Larson, published by Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), has information to help centers plan outdoor space to achieve successful environments for young children. It describes equipment and materials that support a range of activities that children can enjoy outdoors, lists factors to consider in selecting equipment, and offers strategies for managing the cost. This resource is available at www.lisc.org/content/publications/detail/814.
  • Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children’s Environments That Work (2005), 2nd ed. by Jim Greenman, presents additional detail on design considerations that support children’s developmental and learning needs. Additional information about this publication is available at https://secure.ccie.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4000402.
  • Child Care Center Design Guide (July 2003), published by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), contains criteria for planning and designing child care centers in GSA-owned or controlled spaces. It includes planning for space and location, site design, interior space design, furnishings and equipment, interior finishes, and technical criteria. The report PBS-100 is available at
    www.gsa.gov/gsa/cm_attachments/GSA_DOCUMENT/Design%20Guide_R2FD38_0Z5RDZ-i34K-pR.pdf.
  • Playing It Safe: The Sixth Nationwide Safety Survey of Public Playgrounds (2002), by Rachel Weintraub, published by the Consumer Federation of America, presents data about hidden playground hazards as well as on local and State activity in the area of playground regulations and community advocacy. This resource is available at
    www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/PlayingItSafeJune2002.pdf.
  • Child Care Design Guide (2001), by Anita Rui Olds, published by McGraw-Hill, provides detailed information about the planning and design of child care centers for architects, interior designers, developers, and child care professionals. The book is organized into four parts: (1) the child’s environment; (2) the design process; (3) ingredients of good design; and (4) the functional spaces. Step-by-step explanations are provided for interior and exterior layout and design principles through case studies. It includes licensing and code requirements; operational standards and strategies; and checklists, charts, and graphs. It features more than 300 floor plans for infant and toddler, preschool, and after-school spaces, plus areas for outdoor play. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/html/0070474494.html.
  • Head Start Center Design Guide for Head Start Facilities (April 2000), by the National Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Resource Center, Head Start Bureau (now the Office of Head Start), Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, contains suggested criteria for planning, designing, and renovating Head Start centers. The content is based on the GSA’s Child Care Center Design Guide. This resource is available at
    www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/hscenterdesignguide.pdf.

Regulations and Standards

There are no Federal regulations for early child care and education programs. Each State develops its own minimum standards for licensing early childhood programs. Standards generally address such issues as group size, child -staff ratios, staff qualifications, and maintaining safe and healthy environments.

  • Information about space requirements and other regulations for each State is available from the State office responsible for licensing of child care programs. State licensing offices are listed under “Contact Information” on the State Profiles, which is available for each State on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html.
  • Individual States’ Child Care Licensure Regulations of the child care licensing standards for center-based child care for all 50 States and the District of Columbia is available on the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education’s Web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm.
  • Stepping Stones (2nd Edition) (2003), by the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care , is a compilation of the standards from Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs found to be most directly related to ensuring the health and safety of children in group care. This resource is available at http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STEPPING/index.htm.
  • Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs (2002),2nd ed.,available from the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education,addresses many health and safety concerns that arise in children’s settings, including nutrition, cleaning, and sanitizing procedures ; playground safety ; and prevention of communicable diseases. This resource is available at http://nrc.uchsc.edu/CFOC/index.html

Updated September 2008

 
PDF Icon Need Adobe Reader?