Active Supervision is Key to Playground Safety      

It is safe to say that there will always be some playground injuries no matter what child care providers do, for as long as young children are encouraged to play outdoors (as they should be nearly every single day!), they will test and exceed the limits of their physical and cognitive abilities. That's what young children do, and in the process they sometimes fall or bump into things! Falls are normal, but serious injuries should not be. And the fact remains that nearly all playground injuries COULD be prevented, particularly if more caregivers applied these two words in practice: active supervision.  

Your state licensing standards include detailed playground safety rules and regulations and your program may have policies and rules that exceed those state requirements. If you have any doubts whatsoever as to whether your policies are the latest and greatest, there are many fine resources available, including some in additional content of this newsletter. All those rules and regulations are critical, even if they seem tedious at times. But beyond all the details about fall zones and equipment specifications, supervision continues to be the most important element of playground safety. And, remember, we are NOT talking about passive supervision. Be active!  

There is more to effective supervision than simply watching children and warning them when they are exceeding limits. Ideally, early childhood professionals should approach playground supervision as an opportunity to actively engage with children, not only for safety's sake but also for the sake of learning. After all, the benefits of outdoor play extend far beyond the physical domain and can include essential opportunities for development of a wide range of social, emotional, and cognitive skills, but only with some positive guidance from adults.  

Children need their freedom, so the point of active supervision is NOT to control their behavior, and the caregiver does not need to be the center of attention. From the child's perspective on the playground, the caregiver should be a source of positive guidance and fun, rather than an authority figure or enforcer. An actively involved caregiver is far more likely to notice safety hazards, which are usually associated with inappropriate behavior rather than equipment malfunctions.