5101:2-12-14 Transportation and field trip safety for a licensed child care center.  

  • Text Box: ACTION: Final Text Box: DATE: 07/25/2005 11:25 AM

     

     

     

    5101:2-12-14               Outdoor play requirements for licensed child care centers.

     

     

     

    (A)   The center shall provide outdoor play each day in suitable weather for any toddler, preschool child, and school child in attendance for more than four consecutive daylight hours. There shall be a written policy, approved by the department and, followed by the center, which lists the limitations placed on outdoor play due to weather or safety issues. Considerations may include but are not limited to temperature, humidity, wind chill, ozone levels, pollen count, lightening, rain or ice. This plan shall provide for indoor large muscle play.

     

    (B)   Child care staff members shall watch for potential hazards while observing children and shall actively supervise to prevent injury. When a group of children is outdoors, the child care staff member responsible for the group shall be able to summon another adult without leaving the group alone or unsupervised.

     

    (C)    Play area: the The center shall have onsite, or safely accessible, a safe, sanitary outdoor play space free of hazardous conditions which shall meet all of the following requirements:

     

    (1)   Provide Provides at least sixty square feet of usable space per child using the area at one time; .

     

    (2)   Be Is well defined by a fence in good repair or a , natural or other barrier;.

     

    (3)If gates are used, they shall be equipped with functional latches which cannot be easily opened by young children. Gates shall not be padlocked when children are present at the center.

     

    (3)(4) Be Is protected from traffic and animals;.

     

    (4)(5) Be Is maintained free of foreign objects and rubbish;.

     

    (5)(6) Provide Provides a shaded area as needed;.

     

    (6)(7) Provide Provides access to bathroom facilities and drinking water during play times;.

     

    (7)(8) Provide Provides for storage of accumulated trash, rubbish and garbage outside of the play area.

     

    (D)   A center may be exempt from the requirements of paragraph (C) of this rule if all of the following are met:

     

     

     

    (1)   The facility has an indoor recreation area that has a minimum of one thousand four hundred forty square feet of indoor space that is separate from the space required by rule 5101:2-12-13 of the Administrative Code and is regularly available and scheduled for use. , and

    (2)    There is a safe park or play area regularly available, scheduled for use and approved by the director's representative department. Access to this area shall be safe and convenient, and children shall be closely supervised during play and when going to and from the area.

    (E)   A center that is approved to use an off site area may use the play space regardless of change of ownership unless it is determined, upon inspection, that the area or its accessibility is unsafe.

    (F)   Equipment: outdoor Outdoor equipment, whether stationary or portable, shall be safe and designed to meet the developmental needs of all of the age groups of children using the space.

    (1)   Equipment, such as, but not limited to, climbing gyms, swings, and slides shall meet all of the following requirements:. Fencing is not considered outdoor equipment.

    (a)     Be Shall be placed out of the path of the area's main traffic pattern; patterns.

    (b)   Be Shall be anchored or stable, and have all parts in good working order and securely fastened;.

    (c)   Have Shall have all climbing ropes anchored at both ends and not capable of looping back on themselves creating a loop with an interior perimeter of five inches or greater;.

    (d)   Have Shall have all "S" hooks closed so that there is no gap greater than

    .04 inch or the thickness of a dime;.

    (e)    Be Shall be free of rust, cracks, holes, splinters, sharp points or edges, chipped or peeling paint, toxic substances, protruding bolts, or tripping hazards;.

    (f)    Have Shall have no openings that are greater than three and one half inches, but less than then nine inches to avoid entrapment;.

    (g)   Have Shall have protective barriers on platforms that are thirty inches or higher off the ground high or over.

    (h)      Be  Shall  be  assembled  and  installed  according  to  manufacturers' guidelines..

    (G)Sandboxes shall be covered with a lid or other covering when they are not in use.

    (G)(H) Fall surface: outdoor Outdoor play equipment, designated for climbing, swingsswinging and slides sliding, shall have a fall zone of protective resilient material on the ground under and around the equipment. The material shall be, but not limited to, washed pea gravel, mulch, sand, wood chips, synthetic material such as rubber mats or tiles manufactured for this purpose. This equipment shall not be placed over grass, concrete, asphalt, blacktop, dirt, rocks, or any hard surface. Synthetic surfaces shall follow manufacturers' guidelines for depth.

    Effective:                                                     09/01/2005

    R.C. 119.032 review dates:                         03/31/2005 and 01/31/2010

    CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

    Certification

    07/25/2005

    Date

    Promulgated Under:                           119.03

    Statutory Authority:                           5104.011

    Rule Amplifies:                                  5104.011

    Prior Effective Dates:                         3/1/81, 6/1/84, 9/1/86, 1/2/92 (Emer.), 4/1/92, 4/1/03

Document Information

Effective Date:
9/1/2005
Five Year Review:
Yes
Rule File:
5101$2-12-14_PH_FF_A_RU_20050725_1125.pdf
File Date:
2005-07-25
Last Day in Effect:
2005-09-01
Related Chapter/Rule NO.: (1)
Ill. Adm. Code 5101:2-12-14. Outdoor play requirements for licensed child care centers