6.1.0.6: Location of Play Areas Near Bodies of Water

Outside play areas should be free from the following bodies of water:

1. Unfenced swimming and wading pools;
2. Ditches;
3. Quarries;
4. Canals;
5. Excavations;
6. Fish ponds;
7. Water retention or detention basins;
8. Other bodies of water.

RATIONALE

Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death in children one to fourteen years of age (1).

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

REFERENCES

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2008. Water-related injuries. http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Water-Safety/.