Wyatt Underwood on "The Safe Child Campaign"

Tips for Safe Play Indoors

2011-10-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Outdoor playgrounds are of course a key area of focus when it comes to safety as well as educational and entertainment value, however indoor play areas also deserve a similar level of attention.

Sometimes what appears to be the most obvious of common sense solutions -- keeping the floor clear so people won't trip -- often gets overlooked in the fray of everyday school or family life. A recent article by Daniel Akinson points out the fact that a leading cause of injuries that happen inside the house or classroom result from toys not being picked up.

"One specific danger and one that is usually ignored are all the kids’ toys that have not been picked up," the article states. "This can definitely be a hazard if the living area is doubling as a play area."

The magazine provides the following advice on how to prevent accidents that can lead to minor or at times serious injuries:

• "Designate a particular area of the room in which the kids should play" and make children understand that whenever toys are in use, that is where they should be.

• "Show your child how to be neat." Instill this early on in their lives and follow up by making sure they always clean up after themselves when playtime concludes.

• "Teach your kids that picking up is fun." To counter the perception that putting stuff away, the article suggests a game in which kids race to put their things away before the end of a favorite song playing in the background.

• "To keep your kids safe from falls, place a large rug in their play area."

International Efforts to Build Safe Playgrounds in War Zones

2011-09-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

It would be hard to find a rational person who would disagree with the idea that children all over the world should have safe places to play.

Organizations such as UNICEF and The Playground Builders Foundation have worked to provide children in war-torn nations with safe, accessible playgrounds.

Playground Builders, a Canadian nonprofit charity, has established a business "model [that] involves the use of a generic playground design and local construction, based on a competitive value bid system," according to the organization's website. "This simplified process ensures many playgrounds throughout conflict areas can be built effectively and efficiently. These special places provide safe spaces for laughter, hope and interaction for war-entrapped children in unstable and poverty-stricken areas such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Territories."

UNICEF's common practice is to build or rebuild schools and playgrounds in places ravaged by warfare. Part of its core human rights agenda recognizes the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts."

One example of UNICEF's work in conflict zones is the construction of "20 safe-play areas ... in the occupied Palestinian territory: 11 in the Gaza strip and nine in the West Bank," according to a 2006 press release available online. "These play areas provide an estimated 30,000 children with opportunities to meet, socialize and play in a protected environment."

Thinking "Green"

2011-08-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Environmentally friendly playgrounds are becoming increasingly popular and prominent. As the "green" label has become a standard line in marketing throughout all kinds of business sectors, the same is evident among playground equipment manufacturers.

A few examples of more sustainable playground elements include recycled tires in safety surfacing, recycled plastic benches and playground equipment recycling programs. Another common practice in recent years has been replacing asphalt surfaces with grass and natural surroundings.

"There are plenty of new opportunities to transform decaying asphalt playgrounds or vacant lots into natural play areas," Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” wrote in a 2007 New York Times opinion article. "Researchers at the University of Illinois, exploring people’s relationship to nature, have discovered that green outdoor spaces relieve the symptoms of attention deficit disorders, improve the quality of interaction between children and adults and, in urban play areas, reduce crime."

One of the first schools to move the green playground concept into actuality was the Tule Elk Park Child Development Center, according to an article in Edutopia, the Internet publishing arm of The George Lucas Educational Foundation.

"This sixty-year-old San Francisco school in the city's Marina District went green in the early 1990s, with 20,000 square feet of blacktop removed and replaced by an educational Eden complete with native plantings, shady rest areas, and a nature preserve for the three Bs: birds, butterflies, and bugs," the Edutopia article reports.

However, Edutopia cautions that "the Tule Elk outdoor redo cost a half-million dollars more than it did a decade ago, far beyond the means of most public schools today."

A section of the article titled "follow the money trail" observes how Sherman Elementary School, also in San Francisco, obtained its green playground.

"Sherman parents stretched available dollars by doing their own site preparation, mulching, grading, paving, and laying down a permeable cover," the Edutopia article states. "Even the project's architect, Jeff Miller, besides providing a spectacular landscape plan, donated his own sweat equity by running a Bobcat grader during Sherman's green-schoolyard weekends."

Another important aspect of eco-friendly play equipment is the minimization of toxic substances used in manufacturing that can obviously pose a danger to kids who frequent a particular playground.

"Before 2003, nearly all of the wood used for playground equipment was treated with chromium copper arsenate (CCA) to ensure weather resistance," according to 1-800-Recycling.com. "The arsenic in the finish leached into the soil and was even present in the children who played on this equipment. Eco-friendly playgrounds do a double-duty job of protecting children and the environment from harmful materials like CCA."

Nonprofits Build Playgrounds in Poverty and Disaster Stricken Haiti

2011-07-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

Like warfare, severe poverty doesn't jibe with safe places for children to play together in a public setting. Nonprofits from all over the world have concentrated efforts in Haiti to address the need for playgrounds.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 that killed and left homeless many thousands of people drew a great deal of international attention and aid in the wake of the disaster.

Prior to the earthquake, the Disasters Emergency Committee reports:

• More than 70 percent of Haitians were living on less than $2 a day.
• 86 percent of national capital Port au Prince residents lived in slum conditions.
• 80 percent of education in Haiti was offered in often sub-par private schools because the higher- quality state system provided an inadequate number of schools.
• Half of Port-au-Prince residents didn't have access to latrines and one-third had access to tap water.

One example is Kids Around the World, a religiously themed group that since 1994 has built nearly 150 playgrounds in 27 countries, including nine either completed or in the works in Haiti.

The organization's website says it provides "safe play equipment for children ... in situations where it was difficult to just be a 'kid.' So often children find themselves as victims of situations out of their control, they become victims of economic stress, victims of political injustice, victims of natural disasters and worst of all, victims of war. It was for these children that Kids Around the World began."

Numerous other playground equipment and financial donation drives have taken place toward creating Haitian playgrounds. Some donor organizations include:

• Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos International
• International Childhood Enrichment Program
• Tilt-A-World
• The Miriam Foundation

Children's Hospitals Promoting Safe Play

2011-06-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Children's hospitals around the country are promoting safe play, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A report published in January titled "Injury Prevention on Playgrounds, at Home and in the Neighborhood" notes endeavors by hospitals in several states.

The foundation's Injury Free Coalition for Kids is the spearhead for raising awareness about safe play at children's hospitals and within the broader community.

"More than half of the Injury Free coalitions built playgrounds, typically with plastic or rubber materials, a soft ground covering and other features to prevent injuries," the report states. "The purpose -- and impact -- of the playground projects went beyond just providing safe places for children to play. ... By bringing neighborhood residents into the planning and construction process, the Injury Free teams were also building community."

The Comer's Children Hospital at the University of Chicago built two playgrounds with help from area residents. "Both projects contributed to an increased effort by community residents and the local police to keep children in the neighborhood safe from violence," states the report. "St. Louis Children's Hospital reported that while a few of its playgrounds experienced vandalism, most neighborhoods were committed to maintaining their new play spaces."

The Injury Free Coalition has also encouraged in-home safety and violence prevention for young people through research and community initiatives.

Cases in point include a coalition-sponsored annual program in Worcester, Mass. in conjunction with the UMASS Memorial Children's Medical Center and local law enforcement that collects guns in exchange for Wal-Mart gift certificates, according to the report. "In Miami, members of the Injury Free team helped develop a local violent injury surveillance system ... and used the data to assess patterns and trends in violent deaths and to report findings to the public and policy-makers."

The Indianapolis Injury Free program at Riley Children's Hospital collaborated with the local fire department to hand out more than 17,000 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Backyard Playground Safety Issues

2011-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Safety in backyard playgrounds is obviously just as necessary as at public facilities.

"Ten years ago, a study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission discovered more deaths occurred on backyard playground equipment than on public playgrounds," FortWayne.com recently reported. "A 2009 study from the CPSC found that 40 deaths were associated with playground equipment between 2001 to 2008, the majority of which were the result of hangings or asphyxiations."

Toward preventing such tragedies, the article highlights "location," "equipment," "surfaces" and "inspection" as the keys to a consistently safe backyard play area.

Playground placement is especially emphasized:

"Location, location, location! A home playground's location is very important. When deciding where to put a playground, consider its accessibility."

Earshot distance is a suggested gauge for determining a reasonable distance for responders -- be they parental or paramedic -- in the event of an emergency.

Other statistics of note:

On Equipment -- "A 2009 report from the CPSC indicated that climbers were associated with 23 percent of all playground injuries while swings were associated with 22 percent."
On Surfaces -- "According to the CPSC, 67 percent of playground accidents between 2001 and 2008 involved falls or equipment failure."

Regarding playground equipment "inspection," the article advises parents to make children very aware that they should immediately report if anything is loose or not properly functioning.

"Kids often like to play rough, and as a result playgrounds commonly take quite a beating," the article states. "Even if equipment was sturdy at installation and was installed to the letter of the manufacturer's instructions, parents should routinely inspect equipment to ensure it's holding up to the wear and tear of children."

Shade Sails, Umbrellas Help UV Protection

2011-04-17T11:06:00.001-07:00

The sunny spring and summer months have begun, making protection from ultraviolet rays a concern for those who spend time outdoors. Unfortunately, shade sails and umbrellas are often overlooked in playground designs.

Umbrellas and sails provide shade for playground patrons and also keep the intense heat of direct sunlight from benches, slides, swings and other play structures. This can of course prevent burning-hot injuries to tender young skin, but it also prolongs the life of playground equipment, which takes a beating from the sun on a daily basis.

Durable shade sails can be designed to accommodate irregularly shaped areas, and low points can be positioned relative to the sun's direction for optimal blockage.

Beyond playground applications, shade sails are a cost-effective solution for keeping direct sunlight from most outdoor areas such as pools, barbeques, house fronts and spas.

"They can be the best idea for your outdoor areas, improving the look while also offering protection from the sun's harmful UV rays," according to Coastal Design Concepts Inc. "They can be successfully used in public outdoor areas -- at shopping centers, car parking [facilities], community centers, kindergartens, schools, outdoor playgrounds/activity areas and sport facilities."

Shade sails are easily customized with lots of flexibility in shape, size and color.

Sails and umbrellas are attached to free-standing uprights or suitable existing structures and don't require any form of structural roofing support.

Coastal Design recommends products made by Georgia-based Skyspan Structures. According to the company, Skyspan umbrellas and sails are designed for longevity and can withstand wind gusts over 90 miles per hour, in addition to being easy to install and use.

Toddler Playground Safety

2011-03-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Because of their smaller stature, toddlers face a greater number of potential hazards at the playground. A little foresight goes a long way -- parents and guardians with a sharp eye for dangerous situations will be able to prevent problems before they occur and choose the safest place for little ones to play.

The no. 1 safety concern for any play area is the surfacing. If it's hard, rough or slippery, it's time to look for another playground. Rubber is best, followed by wood chips and gravel.

Jaipi Sixbear, a writer for Yahoo.com's Associated Content, observed that a lack of toddler scale playground equipment is often "a hidden safety issue”.

"Some toddlers may be able to handle the climb up the big slide ladder," Sixbear wrote. "What if they slip and fall from that height? While this is no problem for older kids, it could cause a serious or fatal injury for toddlers. Be sure the playground you choose has toddler scale equipment."

She also warned about the possibility of old, unmaintained equipment that is especially dangerous to toddlers, requiring that parents always check for stability before children begin playing.

Sixbear also mentioned parks that have water features in addition to play facilities. Ponds and fountains, for example, pose a drowning hazard because "it only takes a second for your toddler to wander off ... while you're momentarily distracted," she wrote. "It's better to be safe. Avoid parks with water features altogether."

Fences are another safety component that can protect young children.

"No matter how vigilant you are, accidents happen," Sixbear noted. "Fences also separate you toddler from large dogs and older, more rambunctious children who might be using other areas of the park."

How to Become a Certified Playground Safety Inspector

2011-02-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

The National Recreation and Parks Association has led the way toward safer playgrounds for the last two decades. In 1993, the association established the National Playground Safety Institute and soon thereafter began offering certification programs for parks and recreation professionals.

The "CPSI Candidate Handbook" establishes a code of professional conduct for inspectors and lists the course's main objectives:

• Identify hazards on public playground equipment and the playground.

• Rank the hazards according to injury potential.

• Apply the knowledge to remove the hazards and establish a system of inspections.

The organization has "a long-term goal of training and certifying at least one person from every community in the United States to be a CPSI," according to the NRPA website. "These inspectors will share their knowledge on the public-use playground standard of care with other people involved in playground operations within their agencies and throughout their community."

Training involves an optional two-day prep-course on information covered in the certification exam, which takes place on the third day and final day of the course schedule. Computer-based exams are also available.

Training centers are located in every region of the United States and offer sessions periodically throughout the year. There are no prerequisites to attending the course and taking the exam, and the examination fee is $200. Certification must be renewed every three years.

Test questions come from the following sources:

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission Handbook for Public Playground Safety

• The Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use (ASTM F1487-07)

• Standard Guide for ASTM Standards on Playground Surfacing (ASTM 2333-04)

• Playground Safety Is No Accident, 4th Edition

The first step toward CPSI status is to visit the NRPA's website and fill out the application.

Toddler Playground Training

2011-01-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

Early inculcation of proper playground etiquette is the first line of defense for parents with toddlers and young children. A child with a good set of playground values is indeed less likely to hurt him or herself or others.

"It is important to build safe habits in your children as soon as you begin visiting the playground," according to eHow.com's Todd Bowerman. "Good habits keep your kids safe and make your trips less stressful."

The writer lists four points to teach youngsters about how to make the most of the playground experience.

First on the agenda is communication. Prior to going to the playground, toddlers should be walked through the motions of using playground equipment as well as how they should interact with other children. Emphasize that pushing and shoving are never acceptable and taking turns is the way to do it. Parents should repeat these instructions often.

Clear ground rules are also essential. Set specific boundaries pertaining to equipment you don't want the child to use or areas of the playground he or she is not permitted. Make sure the toddler has a well-defined play area.

Once the Child has been properly prepped, the first trip to the playground needs to involve mom and/or dad physically demonstrating equipment use.

"For instance, slide down a slide with her to build her confidence, show her the proper way to sit on a swing and hold on to the chains or how to correctly and safely mount a rocking horse," Bowerman advised. "Remind her to let moving equipment stop before getting on or off."

Correcting mistakes immediately is also key. Upon spotting a toddler's mistake, go up to him or her and offer a gentle reminder of the playground rules.

Special Needs Students Benefit from "Sensory Playgrounds"

2010-12-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Bourgeoning playground designs focused on sensory activities offer social interaction as well as therapeutic learning time. While all children benefit from stimulating play, research shows that those with special needs progress considerably when such play environments are integrated with their school routine.

Common playground activities such as swings and trampolines inherently encourage socializing, concentration skills and physical awareness, which the steadily increasing number of children with autism and other attention-deficit conditions lack. However, parents, caregivers and educators of special needs children should note the recent advent of KidSense "sensory playgrounds," as the industry lexicon now describes them.

LeAnne Cantrell, an oil drilling engineer turned sensory playground pioneer, has established the KidSense Pilot Yard on the shared campus of Pontchartrain Elementary and Tcherfuncte Middle schools in Mandeville, La. where her autistic son is a student.

Cantrell recognized the importance of outdoor play in developing learning and social skills. She also saw in her New Orleans-adjacent community the absence of playground equipment and layout schemes that properly accommodate youngsters with special needs, most notably those whose wheelchairs often restrict their access to traditional play facilities and school yards.

So with the help and input of many friends and neighbors -- and despite Hurricane Katrina -- KidSense came to be with the intention of creating places where children with special needs can inclusively interact with parents and peers.

The Pilot Yard at Pontchartrain Elementary builds on previous accessible playground concepts such as the nearby Boundless Playground design covered in a previous posting. It consists of 12 areas based on three types of "sensory stations." "Equipment stations," according to the KidSense website, "offer very specific types of either hard work or sets of movement that are needed to fulfill students’ sensory diets." "Natural stations" such as a thicket of crepe myrtle trees are intended to "soothe and calm while introducing opportunities for imagination."

The playground also has a "multi-sensory wall" that expands the traditional mural concept "with the use of tiles, mirrors, castings and even manipulative [activities] such as wheels to turn, cranks, pulleys and levers," KidsenseLA.com explains. "Braille messages written in stones can be decoded with the help of a friend or the permanent Braille alphabet key."

Innovative playground attractions include a climbing wall, balance beam, tunnels and buddy slides. Each piece of equipment is accompanied by different types of plants and trees. These natural surroundings provide "a sense of protection...and offer alternative place experiences," states the KidSense website.

KidSense yards are based on "sensory rooms," which are common in special education schools. These play areas provide students with activities that sharpen concentration and lengthen attention spans.

Cantrell's concept draws heavily from research that began in the 1970s with Jane Ayers' "sensory integration" techniques. Only recently has the medical research community caught up, however.

It wasn't until 2005 that Temple University researchers turned heads with the first of two large-scale sensory integration studies. It found 95 percent of kids with ADHD improved their ability to focus on schoolwork and interact with family members.

A second survey completed in May reported that 91 percent of autistic children "displayed fewer stereotypical behaviors after participating in sensory integration schedules and were better able to concentrate on achieving set goals," according to The Times-Picayune newspaper.

Currently, KidSense is fundraising for its third sensory playground project since the non-profit began in 2007. As quoted in her local newspaper, the St. Tammany News, Cantrell said, “We are building a better playground for all children, not just those with special needs.”

Special Needs Playgrounds Gaining Ground

2010-11-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

As playgrounds grow and evolve with increasing attention paid to safety and equipment durability, it's important to note that kids with physical limitations need adequate places to play just as much, if not more, than kids without disabilities.

Children who must contend with limited mobility and dexterity need much more carefully designed equipment and facilities. In recent years, awareness of making parts of everyday life more "handicapped accessible" is now commonplace in many areas of everyday life.

And in the wake of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, through which Congress made accessible public facilities the law of the land, focus on accessible playgrounds has naturally followed suit. Creating recreational facilities accessible to all, however still remains an uphill battle in many instances.

Parents of children with disabilities often have to go out of their way to make local accessible playgrounds a reality. The St. Tammany Kids Konnection Boundless Playground in New Orleans is a good example of this.

Initially several parents of disabled kids were dismayed when their school's new playground, completed in 2004, proved inaccessible for wheelchairs. As word spread through the community and parents commiserated, attention soon turned toward establishing a non-school playground where all children can play together.

St. Tammany Parish and nearby communities rallied around the initiative and eventually raised nearly $400,000, well over the average $200,000 it takes to build a special-needs playground. Despite the devastation to the area wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the new facility where kids with disabilities can play with friends and siblings opened a year later.

Accessible designs are more costly, an obvious obstacle toward realizing places like the St. Tammany playground. Things did work out very well in the end -- the facility has a wall for climbing, vine-covered arbor, maze, sensory garden with sound-play instruments, chalk painting, tunnels and a sweetly scented flower patch.

This success story keenly illustrates what it takes to build an accessible playground from scratch. Susan McHugh, who was instrumental in the project from start to finish, sums it up best:

"We can’t sit back and expect someone to do what we need done for our children,” she said as quoted in an article on disaboom.com, which provides information for people with disabilities. "You can’t just assume that your school, or your city or state government is going to do what you need done. It goes beyond that -- it has to come from our passion for doing what is best for our children. Don’t sit back and wait for someone else to do it.”

Boundless Playgrounds, which designed the St. Tammany Parish Kids Konnection, describes itself as "the leading national nonprofit developer of nearly 200 truly inclusive playgrounds in 31 states and Canada."

The key element in a Boundless Playground, as the name indicates, is completely free mobility for all. This is mainly accomplished by ramp-accessible paths that enable handicapped adults to experience play time with kids of all abilities. Building social connections through play is also a core principle that drives the Boundless Playground mission.

The general layout of a Boundless facility incorporates four areas that encourage developmental behaviors. One sector "supports repetitive/looping and gathering/branching out behaviors of children in earlier developmental stages, according to the organization's website, while other areas encourage gathering, planning and social interaction.

The fourth "General Area" is for all children, disabled or not, and most thoroughly puts into praxis Boundless Playgrounds' mission: "To build truly inclusive playgrounds where children -- and adults -- of all abilities can play and learn together in a fun and welcoming environment."

Playground Security Goes High-Tech with Sound Barriers, Motion Detectors, Infrared Video

2010-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

While playgrounds provide good times and an ideal place for exercise, they're also magnets for senseless vandalism and after-hours loitering. Destruction or theft of playground equipment is an enduring problem for any community, costing property owners and municipalities millions every year.

Social decline factors aside, this is mainly due to the very public, easily accessible locations that recreational facilities occupy. Standard security measures such as fencing and lighting can only go so far in deterring those bent on doing damage. And because all it really takes are some tools and misguided motivation, playground crimes often prove relatively easy to perpetrate and difficult for police to solve, let alone deter.

In response, the technology and strategy behind playground security has really come a long way. An elaborate, though quite pricy new system illuminates, photographs and even bombards would-be vandals or after-hours loiterers with an ultrasonic "sound barrier."

MiracleTech Security, a division of Missouri-based Miracle Recreation Equipment Co., stands out as the pioneer playground security system. It's the first system designed exclusively for playgrounds, adapting common modern security technologies to the unique needs of a playground setting.

MiracleTech's patented technology that debuted at the 2009 National Recreation Park Association annual conference in Salt Lake City features an infrared digital video camera, low-voltage lighting and last but definitely not least, the sound barrier.

SonicScreen is tied to a motion detector and emits an "ultrasonic tone that's unpleasant to teenagers," explains the MiracleTech product brochure. It works like a dog training device that discourages excessive barking with a finely tuned alarm that only dogs can hear.

The company claims "SonicScreen does not affect children under 12 or pets" and "can also be configured to a lower frequency where loitering by older age groups is a problem." Its stock setting affects people age 13 to 25.

MiracleTech provides individual components or an integrated system that incorporates all three into one unit. ParkWatch video monitoring and SiteBrite integrated lighting fixtures round out the product package, which is flexible and easily tailored to specific facilities and equipment.

The lights, cameras and sound barrier devices mount on playground equipment posts and piping. MiracleTech can fit any new or existing playground structure.

The system can be mounted on a new or existing playground structure. The MiracleTech system can also be post mounted to as a retrofit to any recreation facility that has vandalism issues.

With regard to its impressive camera that can shoot at night, the company's website notes that "high video quality and a large storage capacity let ParkWatch play a critical role in suspect identification, helping deter child predation and other crimes."

Competitor playground security systems very likely will follow MiracleTech's innovative lead. It will be interesting to see how the technology evolves to fill the never-ceasing demand for safer, cleaner and well maintained schoolyards and parks.

Playground Crime Common, Mostly Untracked

2010-08-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's amazingly unfortunate how far some people will go to do damage to a playground. Police blotters in communities all over the world, affluent and underprivileged alike, tell the tale.

Countless horror stories fill the record with news blurbs that frame playgrounds as crime scenes, such as this Aug. 2 report by WOKV television in Jacksonville, Fla. in which a 20-year-old man was found with a "life-threatening" gunshot wound and "the playground was closed off with crime scene tape as investigators searched for clues."

In line with the absence of solid, enforceable playground design and equipment standards, crime statistics on schoolyards and public recreation facilities simply aren't kept by any level of government. So the research is scattered and purely anecdotal, except for a recent "experimental" attempt by the U.K.

The children's British Crime Survey published in June recorded more than 2 million incidents of theft and violence against kids between the age of 10 and 15. However the majority of incidents "were no more than playground pushing and shoving or family spats," the Guardian newspaper reported.

With no U.S. governmental attempts to assess playground crime, the vast record of press accounts offers a rather alarming picture. Parks and schools are the sites of just about every heinous offense, only white-collar crimes seem to be absent from the long list topped by murder, rape, assault and arson. Drugs and theft are also commonplace.

A common playground theft racket is exemplified by this New Jersey case. According to the Atlantic Highlands Herald, a Middletown Township police investigation found that a group of playground thieves would rent U-Hauls and travel throughout the area's neighboring counties stealing playground equipment. They would then sell it at garage sales and a local public auction.

And last but not least, there's always petty vandalism to consider. Without security measures such as at least a non-climbable fence and sufficient lighting, playgrounds are sitting ducks for aimless, usually nocturnal vandals. Vandalism ends up costing millions of dollars every year, requiring vigilant attempts at prevention.

An Ounce of Prevention

While the need for playground crime prevention apparently hasn't made a noticeable impact on most public officials and policymakers, some steps have been taken toward this end.

Kids-only playgrounds where no solo adults are allowed have increased nationwide. For the most part these are toothless legislative gestures that are rarely enforced, but at least the heart is in the right place.

The only viable long-term solution to preventing playground crime is a two-tiered approach that combines youth and community involvement in playground design with a greater emphasis on security systems tailored for recreational facilities.

“I think [community and youth involvement] leads to more creative designs," playground expert Kate Becker told PTO Today. "It leads to a playground that’s used more, and it leads to a place that’s going to be vandalized less.”

On the security system front, the dawn of systems made specifically for playground equipment is finally here. MiracleTech by Miracle Recreation Equipment Co. of Monnet, Mo. is the trailblazer, offering nighttime video surveillance, motion detected lighting and an ultra-sonic sound barrier that only affects teens and young adults.

Profiles in Fitness: Head Start Body Start

2010-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Within the last generation, youth physical fitness has gained significant ground in the political sphere. It's a given that promoting healthy living and physical activity is an important function of children's education.

But only until fairly recently, there wasn't much of a support structure in government or elsewhere to actually fund and implement effective policies.

So as childhood obesity rates steadily increase disproportionately in low-income communities, fueling demands for government action from the public and press, enter a big bowl of federal and non-governmental alphabet soup -- HHS, ACF, OHS, AAPAR, NASPE, and most notably, an eclectic organization with a name that's even too long for a complete acronym.

Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play, or HSBS in the interest of breath-saving, "aims to increase physical activity, outdoor play, and healthy eating among Head Start and Early Head Start children, families, and staff," according to the organization's mission statement.

Headed by Karin Spencer, Ed.D., education and health experts fill the agency's board and executive staff. There are also similarly qualified educators called master trainers, and also a large number of physical activity consultants.

Master trainers hold advanced degrees in physical education, motor development and early childhood physical activity. They develop training curricula and educational resources.

Physical activity consultants provide training and assistance at Head Start facilities. The HSBS website describes "a cadre of more than 240 physical activity experts with experience in early childhood education and movement as well as other related fields."

Head Start -- HSBS's mother ship that provides its four-year, $12 million grant -- is not at all new. The program dates back to President Johnson's anti-poverty push in the mid-1960s. After bouncing around the executive branch bureaucracy and several legislative overhauls over the decades, the current manifestation is the Office of Head Start within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families.

The official OHS line goes like this: "The Head Start program provides grants to local public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies to provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school."

In 1995, "the Early Head Start program was established to serve children from birth to three years of age in recognition of the mounting evidence that the earliest years matter a great deal to children's growth and development," the agency's website reports. Until Head Start Body Start, most of the OHS's efforts concentrated on academics "with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school."

Medical researchers have firmly established the link between poverty and obesity, so the 1 million 3- to 5-year-olds enrolled in Head Start represent a key demographic pool on which the government focuses physical fitness and healthy diet education.

A May 2010 article by Barbara Anderson, health reporter for McClatchy Newspapers, underscores the need to start them young on the path to obesity avoidance:

"The low-income 'are buying what's available to them and affordable to them,' said Genoveva Islas-Hooker, regional program coordinator for the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program...Food habits begin in childhood, Islas-Hooker said. 'You grow up in a household where there is limited economic means and your caregiver is purchasing food on what they can afford...You become ingrained in that type of diet and that type of pattern.'"

As a real-life example of this, the story tells of a 30-year-old woman from Fresno, Calif. who is 100 pounds overweight with a combined family income of $900 a month. She comes from a large family that could mostly afford only starchy, relatively inexpensive foods -- "spaghetti, tacos, rice, beans, potatoes."

"'I'm used to cooking and eating the way I was raised, when I was small,' she said."

At its core HSBS has three objectives:

• Administer and support grants for construction of improvement of outdoor play spaces at Head Start Centers.

• Provide resources, training, and technical assistance to Head Start and Early Head Start grantees.

• Inform and assist OHS in setting national priorities and developing policies.

As far as actual HSBS goings-on, in October the agency debuted Take It Outside! Week. This annual affair only emphasizes and attract publicity for youth physical fitness, but also unify the growing number of Head Start centers around the country.

Take It Outside! Week is also a great way to spotlight the many exercise activities HSBS personnel has designed.

In the area of playground quality and safety, HSBS publishes an annual Preferred Provider List.

The 2010 list, which is actually more like a 61-page catalog of heavily vetted playground equipment and manufacturer profiles, was published in April. It consists of "31 playground and play space companies, equipment manufacturers, and other creators of playground and play space-related resources," according to a press release.

And keeping things political, the first HSBS Policy Guide is set for publication this summer. The agency's website says it will include:

• Policy recommendations based on research

• Expert knowledge and opinion

• Existing successful policies and sample model policies

If anything, Head Start Body Start is a vast resource for anyone interested in learning the ways of healthy, energetic living.

The website alone is quite an academic trove produced by highly qualified and experienced experts in the field of childhood health and education. It's new, so lots of interesting features, such as the Movement Activity Database, are still under construction.

The Health Angle: More Quality Playgrounds, Less Childhood Obesity

2010-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

The news these days is full of accounts based on alarming statistics regarding American kids' sinking levels of physical fitness and correspondingly skyrocketing obesity rates. The best are the CDC figures -- exponentially increasing numbers of kids are obese; annual health costs resulting from obesity total billions of dollars and shorter life expectancies.

"Childhood Obesity" is now a common form of medical speak for the at least pudgy, if not downright health-threatening condition that continues to scream for awareness from parents, educators and anyone who cares about young people.

One very notable person who fits that description is the First Lady. In April Michelle Obama debuted the "Let's Move" campaign to challenge poor diet and lack of exercise.

On the dietary front, the World Health Organization has taken aim at junk food. The United Nations' health advocate comprised of 193 member states points to the global gain in cases of childhood obesity and has called for restrictions in the marketing and advertising of foods high fat, sugar or salt.

Focus is finally now emphatically being placed on how the routines that dictate school and home life in many ways promote sloth and bad eating habits. U.S. News and World Report points to a good example in Missouri of an encouraging start toward reducing desk time and undue weight gain.

It's called the Active and Healthy Schools Program, in which an elementary school incorporates short breaks throughout the day to emphasize movement.

In addition to activity breaks, students and faculty wear pedometers to fuel competition among students and teachers and increase the number of their steps," the magazine reports. "Activity zones are placed throughout playgrounds to engage students in different activities, including hula-hoop, jump-rope and games. Signs and pictures with healthy messages about nutrition and activity are displayed in classrooms and throughout the school."

Playgrounds are the key, as the operative word from the above quote indicates. There's definitely no better place for "activity zones."

If it seems like a no-brainer, well, it is. Access and more importantly, the desire to go to appealing recreation facilities are what's needed if kids are going to learn and make active, physically fit lifestyles their reality.

Despite the apparent obviousness of it all, science has reams of research confirming how important play facilities are in minimizing childhood obesity. A 2007 inquiry by the RAND Corporation -- "Weekend Schoolyard Accessibility, Physical Activity, and Obesity: The Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Study" -- is one of many on this subject.

"Girls who lived near locked schools tended to be heavier, and neighborhoods with locked schools were disproportionately poor and had larger minority populations," Molly M. Scott, the study's lead author, told Medical News Today. "These neighborhoods, where risk of obesity is high and public parks and playgrounds are often lacking, could benefit from convenient and safe places for physical activity. And making schools accessible doesn't require construction. It's a policy change."

Accessible, well designed playgrounds everywhere would definitely be nice. It's crucial to make these places as familiar and safe as possible for kids. Otherwise they won't form the all-important intellectual as well as emotional connections that are key to establishing behavior patterns.

Health strategist and educator Carol Torgan, Ph.D., provides a useful statistical review of major academic studies that have been done on the impact physical activity has on obesity numbers:

"For U.S. children ages 10-17, 35.0% have no access to recreation or community centers; 26.7% have no neighborhood access to sidewalks or walking paths; and 19.2% have no access to parks or playgrounds...

"Children living in neighborhoods with no access to sidewalks or walking paths, parks or playgrounds, and recreation or community centers, have 32%, 26% and 20% higher adjusted odds of obesity than children in neighborhoods with access to these amenities, respectively."

The facts are as clear as can be. Without greater emphasis on open space and quality playgrounds, kids are going to keep getting fatter at pandemic proportions.

Kids with the opportunity to live healthy lives fueled by good food and lots of chances to exercise without question are far more likely to excel in their studies and develop well socially.

It's time to stop reading academic tealeaves and start taking action toward better recreation facilities that will draw children away from the video game console, TV show filler and junk food.

Fundraising: Thoughts, Tips Toward Funding Better Playgrounds

2010-05-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Because good playgrounds are costly, those interested in building new or improving existing locations should take note of successful fundraising techniques.

As the recession crimps municipal and non-profit budgets, times like these call for privately organized fundraising committees to lead the way toward playground improvement and development.

Despite the economic downturn, there are still significant government grants available to make playgrounds newer, better and safer. In addition to the feds and states, corporations and private foundations are a great source of grant funding for community development projects.

In the last two decades, the Fortune 500 has stepped up significantly. Companies such as Nike, Home Depot and many others have contributed hundreds of millions of tax-deductible dollars and product donations to many youth-oriented causes.

This is because in addition to community development and recreation grants, the educational and physical activity aspects of playgrounds open the door for a variety of funding opportunities. Sporting goods companies, as well as government agencies and private foundations that focus on health, education or helping young people all have a relevant stake in funding playgrounds.

Fundraising events in which donations are collected are another effective way to not only collect cash but also make people aware of a playground project. Public support is crucial to winning grants, so fundraising events provide a great opportunity for publicity and community outreach.

There are professional firms specifically dedicated to organizing playground fundraising campaigns. While everyone has their own perspectives and approaches -- and there sure are a lot of points of view on this -- here is an attempt to cut through the din and outline proven fundraising basics in five clear steps:

1. Project Plan

Be sure to have all design details and most importantly, budgeting, finalized before fundraising enters the picture. Plan promotional efforts, make lists of likely donors, start spreading the word. There are numerous resources available to help, including professional services that specifically specialize in setting up fundraising drives for public facilities like playgrounds.

2. Fundraising Plan

Clearly specify the various methods of generating, collecting, and safeguarding funds raised. The more detailed and thought out this is, the more likely success will follow.

3. Fundraising Pros

Write down as part of the Project Plan the positive things this money will accomplish and any other positives that come to mind.

4. Fundraising Cons

Make another list, this one of potential hazards and obstacles the fundraising project may encounter. It's always best to attempt to prepare for the worst, and this is also a great way of really hashing out the project's fine details. Improvements usually follow this stage, which segues to the final stage -- and now, Step no. 5, the legwork.

5. Follow-up

Be persistent! The more effort put into organizing fundraising events and campaigns, simple physics and the law of averages holds that it will equate to more money for better playgrounds. Word-of-mouth is key at this point, and media or Internet presence never hurts, either.

A Quick Primer on American Playground History

2010-03-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Since colonial times parks have been a staple feature of American cities, following European urban planning traditions. But it wasn't until the early-20th century that playgrounds, and America's urban landscape in general, began to shift into what's recognizable to present-day city dwellers.

As eastern cities teemed with immigrants and a surging youth population, the need for designated public play spaces became more and more apparent. Private philanthropic organizations such as the Outdoor Recreation League of New York City and the National Playground Association took the lead in establishing the first public recreation areas on public park land.

New York City parks were the first to incorporate the first generation of modern playground equipment, with Seward Park in 1903 accounting for the first American playground built by a city government. The Manhattan park's design, complete with slides, seesaws and other now familiar amenities, serves as a flagship model for today's urban recreation areas.

President Theodore Roosevelt's advocacy for the nationwide establishment of playgrounds is cited as a major turning point toward establishing an enduring national commitment to public recreation areas. In a 1907 letter to Cuno J. Randolph of the Washington Playground Association, the president noted that children "must have places especially set aside for them; and, since play is a fundamental need, playgrounds should be provided for every child as much as schools. This means that they must be distributed over the cities in such a way as to be within walking distance of every boy and girl."

Roosevelt was responding to the popular movement proclaiming play as an essential activity for safe and healthy children. Today this guiding sentiment of the early playground movement is aptly reflected by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation: "As [playground] designs have evolved one thing has remained constant -- the essential role that the playgrounds play in the vitality of urban neighborhoods, and in particular the physical development and socialization of the city's children."

After a bit of a post-World War I lull in playground innovation and evolution, the second generation of playgrounds came about in the 1920s and '30s. The number of playgrounds in the United States skyrocketed during the Great Depression. "These playgrounds were the classic swings/slides/see-saws/sandbox playgrounds that were built on asphalt with little or no shade," wrote playground expert Nic Breedlove. "They were quite sturdy, but not very safe."

Reminiscing in the Spring Valley (Minn.) Tribune, a local self-described "little old lady" recalled the playground equipment of her childhood in the early-1940s. She happily remembers the swing and ring sets, teeter-totters, merry-go-rounds, "'the rod,' shaped like an upside-down U, from which we could hang or swing up onto, as well as the 'monkey bars.'"

In the '40s and '50s, the "Baby Boom" generation of youngsters hit the ground running with full force, inspiring the social and political call for even more playground development. The number of playgrounds during this period increased dramatically, as cities and suburbs grew very rapidly in the post-war years.

The 1960s brought about what became known as "adventure playgrounds," which Breedlove describes as featuring "rope ladders, pyramids, and many other types of climbing" structures plus thrilling but often high and dangerous swing sets, slides and merry-go-rounds based on earlier equipment designs. "These playgrounds were often designed by architects and they were very beautiful urban spaces. Unfortunately they lacked safety," Breedlove wrote.

Higher safety standards didn't start to kick in until the 1980s, and it wasn't until the '90s that manufacturers and playground administrators really put major focus on safe equipment and playground designs.

As quoted by USA Today, Plymouth, Minn. Superintendent of Parks Mark Peterson lamented, "It's all gone by the wayside. Unfortunately, from a thrill factor, the big tall swings are gone, the big tall slides are gone."

"The big steel swing set, long a staple for kids in search of high-flying thrills or leisurely daydreams with best friends, is disappearing from the American playground," according to the newspaper. "Along with other types of equipment, such as stratospheric slides and Batman-type sliding poles, tall swing sets are being replaced by safer and more cost-effective, less-thrilling modern alternatives."

Currently fixed equipment is fast becoming a thing of the past. Breedlove observed that new facilities offer "structures like banked boardwalks around the outer perimeter for kids to run on, water features, and equipment that encourages open-ended play," such as "enormous rubber balls, ships' masts, pulleys, artificial streams and water structures with locks and material to create temporary diversions and dams."

As this blog has recently covered, safe surfacing is another recent innovation in the quest for safer playgrounds. Although such impact-absorbing rubber surface materials can be costly compared to the gravel, asphalt or hard compacted earth of the past, safe surfaces beneath swings and climbing structures do significantly reduce the risk of serious injury and have become an increasingly common playground fixture.

It's possible that with more attention placed on proper supervision and safe surfacing, the thrill-factor that seems to be on the wane in the latest playground equipment could make a resurgence. This would appease those in the playground management industry who see the lack of exciting structures as discouraging young people's connection with outdoor play.

One industry insider complained in USA Today that "we have dumbed down and sanitized our playgrounds -- especially public playgrounds -- to a point where they don't hold [kids'] interest as long."

Only Equipment Built for Heavy Use Lasts -- Short-Term Savings = Long-Term Replacement Costs and Safety Concerns

2010-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Durable equipment is the most important thing to consider when designing and putting together a playground, whether it’s for a backyard or a large municipal park. Lesser quality slides, swing sets and any other contraptions tempt with lower costs, but why risk the safety risks and very possible mechanical breakdowns that are all too common?

Here are some recommendations for properly designed playground structures that will last and prove to be a wise long-term investment:

Residential: Small wooden structures

Day Care: Small structures made entirely of plastic

Churches or Small Schools: 3.5-inch extruded steel posts, lighter gauge side panels, or more substantial wooden structures

Public Use - Small Towns: Smaller size play units using 5-inch extruded steel posts, or more substantial sized play units using 3.5-inch extruded steel posts

Public Use - Urban Areas: 5-inch extruded steel post, or 5-inch pipe, heavier gauge side panels

Since heavy use will really put playground equipment to the test, municipalities especially should heavily consider structures that have some kind of defense against wear-and-tear and vandalism.

Header boards and handles are key indicators of a structure’s durability and overall quality. Cheaper, less resilient models often will have handles that can be easily removed with a Phillips screwdriver or socket wrench. Flimsy header boards that can be kicked out easily are another tell-tale sign to take into account.

Tamper-resistant components and hardware undoubtedly yield longer equipment life. Plastic components need to be thick enough and positioned in such a way as to resist vandalism, the elements and warping. Steel pipes need to be thick enough and have enough paint layers to withstand weathering and normal, but steady, wear and tear.

Wear and tear occurs by the amount of children playing on the unit, which is most directly indicated by visible wearing of painted areas. Moving pieces, plastic games, pretty much all components continually withstand hundreds of children wearing them down. This is why well made equipment of the proper use grade is essential.

Larger, more heavily used playgrounds such as a city park should also consider the area’s demographics. If a particular park is frequented by lots of teenagers, for example, extra-sturdy equipment becomes especially necessary.

Playground structures are intended for use by smaller-sized children compared to taller and heavier teens, who generally should not be on the equipment. Given the naturally rebellious nature of being at that age, though, teenagers are the most likely age group with the potential for vandalism.

Those deciding on equipment should always bear in mind their facility’s demographics and its observable history of playground use to fully account for the kind of heavy use or possible damage that may occur.

Weather must also be considered. If the play unit is located on the beach or on sand, nature’s favorite abrasive element will wear surfaces and affect hardware. Heavy rainfall or snow, of course, deems rust protection.

Here’s a few quick-reference tips geared toward municipal playgrounds that will help resist vandalism, damage or warping from weather elements and heavy use:

Tamper resistant screws

Thicker gauge metal and plastic pieces

Increased number of paint coats on equipment

Secure placement of steel posts to ensure stable platforms, panels, stairs and slides

Fencing and lighting, and closing the park after dark

Adequate supervision

Profit Motive Scales Down Today’s Playground Equipment

2009-11-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

Safety and design experts had a lot to say about the latest generation of playground equipment at a recent National Recreation and Parks (NRPA) trade show in Salt Lake City. A common observation was that manufacturers not only are cutting back by using cheaper materials, but they also are reducing the overall size of products such as slides and climbing structures.

This is being done simply to reduce overhead costs, instead of providing playgrounds with the best possible products. The unfortunate end result here is a less exciting and enjoyable playground experience for today’s generation of youngsters, who as it is spend far too much time indoors in front of screens within walking distance of the refrigerator. With the considerable rise in childhood obesity and health problems compared to generations past, playground activities and equipment should be as fun as appealing ever, not scaled down and cut back.

Sure, today’s playground gear may be softer and significantly safer, but can’t there be a happier medium? Why can’t today’s slides, swings and other playground attractions be safe and as much fun as equipment from the 1970s?

Women’s lifestyle website Divine Caroline takes us back to yesteryear with a photographic review of the elaborate, immense climbing structures, slides and swing sets circa a generation ago. The designs that currently dominate the landscape in parks and school yards all over the nation pale in comparison in terms of visual appeal and their ability to inspire fun and excitement.

This phenomenon of cutting back on the quality and overall enjoyableness of a product reminds me of what’s happening to our favorite food and candies, which used to be packaged in generous portions. Revamped, watered-down recipes are changing the taste and texture of all kinds of food products, while at the same time giving smaller portions. And yet the price constantly goes up.

Take my favorite snack from years ago, the Devil Dog, which sadly is no longer what it once was. Today’s version tastes like saw dust thanks to a totally changed ingredient formula. And like so many slides and playground climbing structures, it’s about half the size it was in its heyday.

Playground structures definitely should not go the way of the Devil Dog because outdoor play activity is essential to keep kids happy and healthy. Consumer feedback to equipment manufacturers would be a good start toward improving their products’ appeal and entertainment value.

Surfacing Products Wear Out Quickly, Fail Safety Tests & The "Low-Bidder"

2009-11-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

There’s this unfortunate "low bidder" mentality in the playground equipment and surfacing industry. Far too often, manufacturers cut corners and don’t deliver quality, lasting products, especially surfacing materials.

Simply put, many surfacing companies do not use the highest quality polyurethanes in rubber-based materials. So for example, the result is that the top layer of an EPDM surface, which is supposed to be 3/8 of an inch in thickness, ends up at 1/4-inch after only about a year. This will downgrade the surface’s ability to cut down the force of impact if a child falls, an obvious safety concern.

Similar corner-cutting also goes on with construction contractors who lay playground foundations and equipment footings, which aren’t poured according to specification requirements with a minimal amount of concrete. This results in unstable playground equipment after not much time in use.

SBR tiles are another extremely noticeable example of the “low bidder” phenomenon. SBR tiles are manufactured from shredded rubber tires, called “tire buffings” or the “retreats” of truck tires. Buffings are mixed with polyurethane, then placed in a mold and compressed into different shapes.

The polyurethane can be pigmented red, blue or green and act as a coating over the black SBR tiles. This colorful surface is usually short-lived, however, because foot traffic wears the colored polyurethane on SBR recycled tire shred, exposing the tile’s black surface. What happens six months to a year later is a blackened red, green or blue surface, especially on heavy wear zones near slides, swings and other playground equipment.

In addition to the color fading to black, there’s the shrinking over time that creates large gaps and traps dirt, glass, and debris, with the added problem of the surface becoming subject to vandalism. Vandals can easily rip shrunken tiles from the ground and remove a portion of the playground surface.

The most dangerous aspect of poorly made SBR and other rubber tiles is that over time, these tiles won’t meet the ASTM International fall test rating standard after they have been installed more than a year. This may be rubber or polyurethane hardening issues due to sun exposure or extreme cold, and/or the manufacturer may meet too closely to the minimum ASTM-1292 fall height and impact attenuation rating.

Cutting it so close to the minimum fails to leave enough of a cushion to account for wear and tear. So after a year the surface tile will no longer meet the standard development organization’s minimum a year later. This means it will less effectively break a child’s fall.

All this shoddy product manufacturing stems from companies trying to be too competitive and "low bid" their products to undercut the competition.

Florida-based EPDM tile manufacturer Impact Rubber Surfacing Incorporated notes on their website, ImpactRubber.com, “It has come to our attention that there is a new company in our area selling a painted rubber product for a little less per square foot than our EPDM surfacing. Before you buy this inferior and toxic product, you should know a few things about the differences between the EPDM product we install and the painted product they sell.”

The webpage, ominously headed “Buyer Beware,” goes on to compare its EPDM surfacing with SBR recycled tire products. This is a good example of the hyper-competitive state toward which the industry is taking a negative turn.

The site does aptly advise, however, to “know exactly what you're getting before you spend your hard earned money on an imitation product. Ask the company you're dealing with to provide you with their ASTM test results.”

Let’s Play Recreation, Inc. provides a great look at quality rubber tile. The company’s “Safe Guard Fun Tiles are pressure-molded and processed from 100% recycled rubber and urethane binder.” These tiles “can reduce impact from falls of up to twelve feet, and because they’re made from recycled material, they have little impact on the environment.”

This blog’s posting from August 11 provides a solid list of criteria for rubber surface shoppers to consider:

1. Company length of service 15-20 years

2. IPEMA certified (Int. Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association)

3. Factory-direct installation

4. ASTM 1292-04 (Impact Attenuation)

5. ASTM F-1951 (Wheel Chair Accessibility)

6. GSA-approved (General Services Administration)

7. ASTM E-108 (Fire: Pass a Class A)

8. Combined staff experience of 82 years

9. Computerized inventory & state of the art field equipment

10. Certified playground equipment/surfacing inspectors (CPSI) on staff

11. Broad product choices

12. References: min. 50

13. State-licensed for general & specialty product flooring

14. General liability, workers’ comp. & auto insurance of min. $2,000,000 -
$5,000,000 in coverage

15. Bonding of at least $750,000

16. Extensive literature & specifications to minimize the approval process

17. 5-Year warranty

18. Dun & Bradstreet scoring

19. Active industry & community Involvement

20. Head Start Body Start physical activity consultant on staff

A sound solution here would be to properly qualify and accredit manufacturing companies according to the above criteria. “Low bidders” should know that it is not always strictly about the overhead cost and selling price, but many important elements that characterize a quality, desirable playground product.

Clothing and Sun Exposure: Important Keys to Safe Outdoor Activities

2009-11-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

Sensible clothing is an essential part of playground safety. Bare feet are always a no-no, as is extensive sun exposure.

Toward limiting sun exposure, the National Program for Playground Safety advises parents and child care providers to avoid scheduling outdoor activities during hours of peak sun intensity, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time. “If outdoor activities during these peak times are unavoidable, encourage the use of protective clothing and sunglasses, suggest playing in shaded areas, and, of course, always use sunscreen,” the organization states on its website.

The NPPS also supplies a “Quick Tips” list:

• Monitor the daily UV Index forecasts for your area (go to www.epa.gov or look in newspapers) and plan indoor activities on days of high sun intensity.

• Teach children how to identify and find good sources of shade.

• Keep infants and small children in the shade when outdoors.

• Plan trips to parks and places where adequate shade is available.

• Plant trees that provide maximum shade on school or child care center property.

• Purchase portable shade structures such as umbrellas, tents and tarps.

• Build permanent shade structures such as porches, picnic shelters and fabric shade canopies.

• Include shade covering in the design of playground equipment and recreational areas.

On attire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had this to say about helmets: “Make sure children remove their bike or other sports helmets before playing on the playground. Helmets can become entrapped in playground equipment, posing a strangulation hazard.”

Obviously school clothes and playwear are synonymous. “Dress your kids so they are able to play on the playground safely and feel comfortable in class,” wrote educator and freelance columnist Margaret Lavin on Examiner.com.

In addition to aptly noting that pants, shirts, dresses and skirts shouldn’t be too tight or too loose, Lavin also has excellent advice on shoes: “No open-toed shoes, flip-flops or high heels. Gym shoes are ideal. Also, check the laces. Kids are often tripping over 10-foot-long, filthy, tattered shoestrings. Velcro for little ones is a wonderful option.”

Happy Halloween! Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters and Parents

2009-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters and Parents

Halloween is an all-time favorite holiday of kids, young and old. The following are tried and true suggestions for making sure this fun-filled night stays happy and safe.

Naturally, supervision is the primary way to make sure things stay safe and enjoyable. A responsible adult or teenager should always accompany groups of young, eager trick-or-treaters. Just like on playgrounds, adult supervision is key.
While much of this Halloween safety advice falls handily into the “common sense” category, the following set of safety tips courtesy of the American Association of Pediatrics will at least confirm for mindful parents effective ways to ensure a safe and memorable holiday for all:
ALL DRESSED UP
Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and Trick-or-Treat bags for greater visibility.

Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.

When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.

If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.

Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.

Teach children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

CARVING A NICHE
Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.

Votive candles are safest for candle-lit pumpkins.

Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

HOME SAFE HOME
To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations.

Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.

Wet leaves should be swept from sidewalks and steps.

Restrain pets so they do not inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

ON THE TRICK-OR-TREAT TRAIL
A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.

Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind Trick-or-Treaters:
· Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
· Carry a cell phone for quick communication.
· Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
· If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
· Never cut across yards or use alleys. Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.

Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!

Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

HEALTHY HALLOWEEN
A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will
discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.

Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your
home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.

Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though
tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all
treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.

Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.

There are many websites dedicated to Halloween safety. Here are several useful links: The Halloween Safety Guide, The Los Angeles Fire Department, The Halloween Safety Game, Halloween safety news search results.

Playground Surfaces: Beware Bonded Loose-Fill

2009-10-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Don't Waste Your Money on Trowelled-Down Bonded Loose-Fill Rubber

So it seems newly created “bonded loose-fill” -- loose-fill rubber mulch adhered by polyurethane -- is gaining ground when it comes to surfacing playgrounds. While it’s ostensibly an inexpensive alternative to the standard poured-in-place, tile or mat systems, it doesn’t carry the same durability of these other, more time-tested surfaces.

For playgrounds, bonded loose-fill may be an interesting, relatively inexpensive alternative to traditional loose-fill materials such as wood chips, sand or gravel. But there’s no way it can withstand regular, heavy foot traffic over time.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission broadly holds that surfaces around playground equipment should have at least 12 inches of “wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or are mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.” This is to account for the amount of impact absorption necessary to reduce the risk of serious injury resulting when children fall from swings or other playground equipment.

In its April 2008 “Playground Safety Handbook,” the Commission extensively outlines how a safe playground surface should be laid down. It draws the major distinction between “unitary” and loose-fill surfaces: “Unitary materials are generally rubber mats and tiles or a combination of energy-absorbing materials held in place by a binder that may be poured in place at the playground site and then cured to form a unitary shock absorbing surface.”

Regarding loose-fill, page 10 of the handbook indicates that “CPSC staff strongly recommends against installing playgrounds over hard surfaces, such as asphalt, concrete, or hard packed earth, unless the installation adds the following
layers of protection.

“Immediately over the hard surface there should be a 3- to 6-inch base layer of loose-fill (e.g., gravel for drainage),” the handbook continues. “The next layer should be a Geotextile cloth. On top of that should be a loose-fill layer meeting [CPSC] specifications…Embedded in the loose-fill layer should be impact attenuating mats under high traffic areas, such as under swings, at slide exits, and other places where displacement is likely.”

Mind you, none of this is enforceable, these are mere guidelines established by the federal government largely to provide some kind of legal guidance when playground injuries occur, and corresponding lawsuits subsequently filed. It does, however, give a clear example of how quality playground surfaces should be constructed.

The CPSC handbook lists “shredded/recycled rubber” as an acceptable loose-fill playground surface material but makes no mention of bonded loose-fill, an important distinction to note.

Simply put, avoid the polyurethane-bonded rubber mulch. It’s better to spend extra funds for a long-term-friendly rubber surface such as poured-in-place, or to simply but properly lay down inexpensive loose-fill and monitor its rate of compaction.

Bonded rubber mulch may appear to be a less expensive happy medium between poured-in-place, tiles and loose-fill, to the tune of about $6 per square foot less than the other surfaces. But short-term savings can be deceptive -- a lack of durability over time will prove this to be the case.

Indoor Mall Playground Safety - Are Your Kids Safe?

2009-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Indoor Playgrounds - Are They Safe?
Well, it's that time of year again with school starting, summer is over, the weather is changing, and many of your children's activities are beginning to move indoors again. It's time for concerned parents to decide where your kids are going to be able to play safely. As it does every year, the number of children playing at the local indoor playground increases dramatically.

With this increase in activity, comes an increase in our awareness of the safety of these indoor playgrounds; are they really the safest place for our children to be playing? There is no traffic to worry about, score one for the indoor playground. But are there other areas of concern that we may be overlooking? Here are a few areas of indoor playground safety you want to look at before you allow your child to participate.

Indoor Playgrounds - Breeding Grounds for Bacteria?
One huge issue of indoor mall playground safety is the enclosed environment itself. Within any enclosed environment, there is always the problem of the accumulation of germs. Outdoor playgrounds are free from this problem due to the open environment. We assume because it is an indoor playground it is clean and safe, but the truth is, some enclosures can act as incubators for germs and they become a breeding ground for bacteria.

This does not present a problem when the indoor playground equipment is properly maintained. Make sure the indoor playground where your children play is properly maintained and thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis. Indoor mall playground safety should be held to the highest standards possible. Don't settle for anything less where your child’s safety is involved.

Indoor Playground Surfacing - Is It Safe?
Another issue you should address with indoor playgrounds is the playground surfacing, is it merely carpet over concrete, or is it properly surfaced with Poured-In-Place rubber surfacing? You may think "the climbing unit is only three foot high," but when your child stands on it, that puts the child’s head 5 feet about the floor.

You want the surface under that indoor playground equipment rubberized, not carpeted. You must insist on rubber tiles or rubber matting at the very minimum for safe indoor playground surfacing. We must also make sure the climbing units meet with current Consumer Product Safety Commission Guidelines, for indoor mall playground safety. The proper playground surfacing is a critical area of safety that cannot be overemphasized.

Supervision - Take An Active Role
Child Supervision at the indoor mall playground can be another area of concern for a parent. Parents who take an active role in supervising your children during play, will have an accident free visit to your local indoor playground. It's the perfect opportunity for spending quality time with your children.

Form friendships with the other parents at the playground and assist each other in supervising the children. By sharing the supervision duties with parents that you know and trust your playground experience will always be enjoyable. Finding the safest indoor playground for your children is easy when you follow these simple tips.

Consensus Lacking on Playground Supervision Ratios

2009-09-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

It’s clear that adult supervision is the best way to prevent mishaps on playgrounds, whether they be school yards, back yards, parks or wherever groups of children gather to play. But an important aspect of this, narrowing down a viable ratio of adult supervisors to children, remains elusive.

The answer, of course, varies depending on the dimensions and specific characteristics of a playground, the age range and number of children present, as well as legal and administrative factors.

So the key question remains, how many adult supervisors should be present? And while there’s far from a consensus or clearly defined mandate, playground supervision is definitely an active, ongoing topic of discussion in the realms of tort lawyers, government agencies, educators and the broader playground safety community.

Columbia, South Carolina law firm Duff, White & Turner provides a detailed recommendation: “In the area of supervision, school districts should establish an appropriate adult to student ratio on the playground, preferably equivalent to the ratio present in classrooms, since students are even more active, and thus more likely to be injured, while on the playground as they are in a classroom environment. The adults assigned to playground supervision duty need not be teachers, so long as they have received appropriate training on effective supervision. This training should include proper staff coverage of the playground, proper use of equipment and how to handle a fall or other accident which might occur on the playground.”

Fairly straightforward, granted, but a bit on the vague side with regard to hard-number supervision ratios.

Eileen Hull, an executive in charge of childcare insurance programs at Market Insurance Company, is also on the vague side in an article for the teacher’s resource website Early Childhood News: “Whether or not your state mandates supervision on the playground, make sure your program keeps the same child-to-staff ratios outdoors as indoors. And remember, these are minimum standards only. Because of distractions, more staff members may be required to supervise the children.”

Hull did hone in a little deeper, as she continued, “Can one staff person adequately supervise more than two children on the playground? Usually not. It can be difficult to keep even a small group of children together on the playground, and a single supervisor can easily be drawn to one child and lose sight of the rest.”

The general rule of thumb, though still on the vague side, seems to be at least to keep the outdoor playground ratio consistent with indoor supervision. That would appear to be one supervisor per 25 to 30 kids. And with all the intangibles associated with kids at play versus being cooped up in a classroom, 1 to 30 seems too high.

The University of Northern Iowa houses the National Program for Playground Safety. According to its directors in an article on the PTA website, “NPPS recommends that the playground supervision ratio be equal to the indoor classroom ratio. However, a recent study in Iowa found that many supervisor-child ratios were extremely high compared to the recommendations. The largest ratio found the study was one supervisor to 125 children, and the most frequent ratio was one supervisor to 50 students. Two percent of the schools surveyed have parents volunteering to be supervisors.”

Regardless of where children gather, more adults present means a lesser chance of playground injury statistics continuing to rise. Maybe that last point about “two percent of schools” with parents who volunteer to be playground supervisors is worth exploring toward improving that all-important supervision ratio…

Top 5 Safety Tips for Safe Fun to Teach your Child

2009-09-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

We all know that time of year when summer is winding down and we are all getting ready to send our little ones back to school. Kids will be playing with other kids on school and community playgrounds not always with your supervision. So it’s vital to make our kids aware of some hidden dangers on the playground.

Educating our children on some basics that can be easily taught and implemented and goes a long way in protecting them.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 200,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms across the United States. About 60% percent are from falls from playground equipment.

Approximately 156,040 (75.8 percent) of the injuries occurred on equipment designed for public use, 46,930 (22.8 percent) occurred on equipment designed for home use, and 2,880 (1.4 percent) occurred on homemade equipment (primarily rope swings).
It is important to take some simple precautions to increase the overall safety of a child and further the safe play environment experience.

1) Is Equipment Safe to Use? Teach your child to make sure the equipment is safe to use. This can be easily done by pointing out and demonstrating if equipment is broken, loose, or missing parts. Inform your child not to use such equipment and to let you know.

2) Adequate Surfacing? Look at the safety surfacing and make sure there is adequate coverage. Inform your child to only play on equipment that has adequate safety surfacing under the equipment. There should be Poured-In-Place, Tiles, Mats, Pea Gravel, Wood mulch, Rubber Mulch (Shredded Tires). Surfacing that has not been maintained properly should be avoided. Example: Most of the loose material needs to be at a minimum 6” depth. If a large percentage is displaced or missing then your child should know it’s “Choose Another Activity Time”. Poured-In-Place, Tiles, Mats should not be delaminated or missing in places.

3) Weather and Heat: This is important on so many fronts. Educate! Inclement weather or possible thunder storms in the area is, “Indoor Play Time” for your child. In addition, look at those hot days. Show your child how to test the equipment to see if it is too hot to go down that slide or climb on those railings. Do this by quickly tapping the surface of the equipment with your hand. I call it the “tap”, then “tap”, “tap”, “tap”, to see if it is too hot. In other words, quickly “tap” the surface once. If the surface of the equipment passes that test and feels ok, then do the “tap”, “tap”, “tap” method increasing the length of time with each tap. If the equipment passes this test then it is most likely able to be played on.

4) Moving Objects: This is really important. Kids swinging from railings, swings, slide exit points and moving apparatuses need to be observed by children prior to entering the playground. Sometimes with the excitement of play, kids fail to take notice of this. Take the time when you approach a playground to point out what activities are going to avoid getting injured.

5) Adult Supervision: Adults need to be present on a playground. Whether at school or in the park it is essential to have adults participating in supervising play. Tell your children before beginning play, to look for adults on the playground and only play on playground equipment when adults are present.

Surfacing Companies: "The Minimum Test"

2009-08-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

I know it is sometimes tough to locate a qualified safety surfacing provider.
When selecting a full service playground environment provider, be sure that they meet
“The Minimum Test”:

Company Length of Service 15-20 years
IPEMA Certified (Int. Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association)
Factory Direct Installation
ASTM 1292-04 (Impact Attenuation)
ASTM F-1951 (Wheel Chair Accessibility)
GSA Approved (General Services Administration)
ASTM E-108 (Fire: Pass a Class A)
Combined Staff Experience of 82 years
Computerized Inventory & State of the Art Field Equipment
Certified Playground Equipment / Surfacing Inspectors on Staff (CPSI)
Leading Website: http://www.letsplayrecreation.com/
Broad Product Choices
References: Min. 50
State Licensed for General & Specialty Product Flooring
General Liability, Workers’ Comp & Auto Insurance of Min. $2,000,000 - $5,000,000 in Coverage
Bonding of at Least $750,000
Extensive Literature & Specifications to minimize the approval process
5-Year Warranty
Dun & Bradstreet Scoring
Active Industry / Community Involvement
Head Start Body Start Physical Activity Consultant on Staff

And should they not meet at least 19 (90%) out of 21, it has been my experience over the last 22 years of being the leading full service playground environment provider that you should keep looking for a provider!

Loose Fill & Poured-In-Place, Bad Mix and Budget Inequality

2009-08-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

I visited Cachuma Lake, California over the weekend camping with family and decided to take in some sights and walk off the camping food I had been eating all day.

I came across a beautiful playground with a nicely designed shade structure that was incorporated in the unit.

When I got a bit closer I noticed that the unit used two safety surfacing elements. One was the Poured-In-Place type to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and the other was a Wood Mulch that apparently was to meet budget concerns.

The play structure had synthetic Poured-In-Place surfacing around the unit to meet the need of Critical Fall Height (Head Injury Criteria) then sloped to blend into the Wood Mulch. The Wood Mulch continued the safety surface (Inexpensively) to create a surface that would meet the fall heights standards.

In theory, this is a way to cut the budget and try to provide an adequate play surface for this very large play structure and maximize the play area.

However, this is my view…

I understand the need to meet budgetary restraints and do not fault architects regarding this. However, I do blame an inequality in the distribution of funds in the failure to achieve a “Collective Safe Play Environment”. Budget dollars need to be distributed equally. It is obvious, where they run out of money. It is usually in the surfacing products and the landscaping around the play unit.

The problem I noticed with this unit is that all the budget dollars went into the wonderful play structure with no money left over for anything else.

In fact, the Poured-In-Place should have met a six foot CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) guideline even though there was a transition between two different surfaces (Poured-In-Place & Wood Mulch). I believe the transition should not have occurred during the necessary minimum safety zone of six feet (I usually recommend eight feet). Moreover, in most places I found the Poured-In-Place Safety Surfacing was less than six feet and the transition slope between the two surfaces was too great forming a tripping hazard. Most of the Wood Mulch was displaced from the surface transition edge and the Wood Mulch itself was displaced throughout the playground, creating a mess all around the entire area. This is due to the lack of routine maintenance.

I believe the decision makers should have with a more cost effective unit, and provided an adequate play zone. They could have spent more budget dollars in a long lasting synthetic surface that included the entire play area and met the ADA requirements. Then there would have been budgetary dollars remaining for adequate site furnishings and minimum landscaping. I think that some organizations and municipalities must put safety above all else. Safety first!

Spain and Children's Playgrounds!

2009-07-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

I just arrived back from Spain a few weeks ago and already miss that wonderful place. What a beautiful and amazing country. I visited ten cities in just about two and a half weeks. When I arrived home, I felt as though I needed a vacation from what was supposed to be my relaxing summer trip.

What clean and friendly cities all throughout southern Spain! The food was less exciting than I had hoped. No real variety or flavor. What a disappointment...

And of course, I could not help myself and inspected a couple of playgrounds while I was there.

Wow, what a horrific site! Safety, what safety? It was a disaster.

Most of the play areas were in poor condition and not maintained as well as the city sidewalks. In Madrid the sidewalks get cleaned every night with power washers at roughly 12:30am (Madrid begins to get dark at about 10:00pm during the summer and dinner and everything is just later in Spain) but I digress, sorry…

The equipment as I stated, was not maintained after it was installed and the safety surfacing was the Poured-In-Place type. However, it was not completed with an adequate pour that would meet the minimum use zones nor a thickness that would meet the critical fall heights.

Let me explain further. The play structure needs to have a minimum safety padding around the play structure that will “catch” the child in case of a possible fall. The recommendation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission is 6 to 8 feet. I usually recommend a more stringent requirement of a minimum of 8 feet from the play structure. The Critical Fall Height of the play structure in our industry is typically measured from the platform height of the equipment. I again, use a stricter point of view here and look for any possible areas where a child may be able to gain access to, and will use this as a Fall Height Criteria. The Head Injury Criteria is to simulate a hypothetical child’s head falling to the surface. The purpose is obviously to minimize a serious head injury. So the play surfacing thickness underneath the play structure needs to be adequate enough to minimize this potential critical injury.

The overall play environment was poor and not stimulating for children. I could speak volumes of what it did not have and if you look at the "Collective Safe Play Environment" list, I think you can come up with your own conclusions. A picture is worth more than a 1000 words. So I have attached a few pictures.

Spain, like the United States, needs to spend more time in providing safer play environments for children. For both countries it starts from the bottom with Industry Experts, Community Leaders and Parents putting pressure on the local municipalities. Both countries need to create effective leadership councils that consists of the Experts, Community Leaders and Parents that can create educational guidelines, funding, and finally, enforcement to have municipalities take this seriously. The well being of our children is at stake.

What is "Safe Child Campaign"?

2009-07-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Providing “Collective Safe Play Environments” for our children through:

Creativity in Design
Age Appropriate (2-5, 6-12, 13-17)
Superior Equipment Quality
Special Needs Friendly
Play Functionality
Educational Features
Open Space
Shelter / Shading
Superior Safety Surfacing
Landscaping
Site Furnishings
Child Safety
Child Security
Community Involvement

Green
Maintenance
Record Keeping

I believe it is vital to have all of these elements present in order to have an interactive, safe environment. Our children should want to continue to utilize these environments for continued play and education. It is unfortunate that in most areas around the United States they do NOT subscribe to the "Collective Safe Play Environment". I want to change this.

What are your thoughts?