In addition to the required outdoor playground area a
licensed child care facility may also provide an indoor playground area. Child
care facilities licensed prior to July 1, 2009 that have been granted
permission to have an indoor playground area in lieu of an outdoor playground
area shall be not be required to have an outdoor playground. However, it is
highly recommended that if possible an outdoor playground area should also be
provided. For child care facilities which provide such an indoor playground
area the following items apply:
1. The
total indoor playground area shall accommodate at least 33 percent of the
licensed capacity at one time.
2.
The indoor playground area shall be well arranged so that all areas are visible
to staff at all times.
3. The
indoor playground area shall be free of hazards.
4. Indoor playground areas shall be laid out
to ensure ample clearance space for the use of each item: nine feet around
fixed items and 15 feet around any moving part. Equipment shall be situated so
that clearance space allocated to one piece of equipment does not encroach on
that of another piece of equipment.
5. Swings shall have a clearance area of nine
feet in all directions beyond the swing beam.
6. All fixed playground equipment shall have
a minimum of nine feet clearance space from walkways and other structures that
are not used as part of play activities.
7. All equipment shall be arranged so that
children playing on one piece of equipment will not interfere with children
playing on or running to another piece of equipment.
8. Moving equipment (e.g., swings,
merry-go-rounds) shall be located toward the edge or corner of an indoor
playground area or shall be designed in such a way as to discourage children
from running into the path of moving equipment.
9. All pieces of indoor playground equipment
shall be surrounded by a resilient surface of an acceptable depth or by rubber
mats manufactured for such use, consistent with the guidelines of the Consumer
Product Safety Commission, and the Standard of the American Society for Testing
and Materials, extending beyond the external limits of the piece of equipment
for at least four feet beyond the fall zone of the equipment. These resilient
surfaces shall conform to the standard stating that the impact from falling
from the height of the structure will be less than or equal to peak
deceleration 200G. Organic materials that support colonization of molds and
bacteria shall not be used.
10.
Indoor space designated as playground may be used by other individuals when the
area is not in use by children attending the facility. However, children of the
child care facility shall have priority use of the indoor playground area and
the area may not be used by others when children are using it. The indoor
playground space shall not count as additional classroom space when determining
the maximum capacity of the facility.
