HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

8.2 Playground Equipment

The basic purpose of playground equipment is to stimulate play and offer challenges while safeguarding children and minimizing hazards. Play structures should be versatile and allow opportunities to rearrange elements for imaginative play.

Major parameters in determining quality in playground equipment are durability, low maintenance, safety, functionality, challenge, and appeal to the child. All equipment should comply with the CPSC's Handbook for Public Playground Safety.

Safety guidelines regarding playground equipment shall be followed. Refer to ASTM F1148-88 (Home Playground Equipment) and ASTM F15.29 (Entrapment, Installation and Maintenance, Materials, Terminology, Falls, Environmental), ASTM 1487-95, PS 83-97, F1292 and the Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements. Refer also to the American Public Health Association and American Academy of Pediatrics in the publication Caring for Our Children; National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-Of-Home Child Care Programs, 1992, particularly Appendices 0-1 through 0-12, for recommendations on playground equipment.

Major types of playground equipment include:

Slides Tire Swings Climbing Equipment Sand and water tables Playhouses

Benches/seating Crawl-through structures Tables/seating Balancing Equipment

Wheeled Toys Platforms/lofts Trash receptacles