Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/playgrounds-for-school-age-afterschool-programs/5012128/
For a variety of reasons - including working parents, single parent homes, problems with latch-key children, and the increase of gangs - after-school programs for school-age children are increasing rapidly. These programs are run through existing public and private schools, in public and private child care centers, and by a variety of recreation agencies. Operators of these programs face challenges that include funding, staffing, adapting the physical space, program development, transportation, and safety. And part of the challenge is providing safe, adequate outdoor play opportunities.School-age after-school programs use a variety of ways to meet outdoor play needs. These include using existing school and city playgrounds, sharing child care playgrounds, and creating play areas specifically for the program. Suggestions here are designed to help programs using any of these options, along with other creative solutions.
Safety
Playground safety is an ever more important concern for all children's programs. There are four basic components to outdoor playground safety (National Program for Playground Safety, 1995):
1 Age Appropriateness. Because school-age programs often use playgrounds designed for other programs, this is a critical concern. What makes it even more challenging is the age range of children in typical school-age programs. School-age children have different physical abilities from preschool ...