Playground Services

Consulting and Design

Our consulting is unique because we believe that children don’t need equipment, they just need opportunity for play. That does not mean they have nothing to play with, but stimulating creative play is facilitated through the use of loose parts which is novel to many teachers and caregivers. Simon Nicholson coined the term “loose parts” and postulated that the creative potential of the play environment is directly proportional to the number and diversity of loose parts.

Playground Partners is committed to providing client-centered consulting by involving the client in the design process.

We are knowledgeable about the playground industry, children’s play, and child development. Our clients know their children. Working together we create playgrounds that are fun, safe, and developmentally appropriate.

Our design services incorporate an integration of playground equipment embellished with nature. Our design philosophy is that playgrounds don’t have to be expensive to be playful and aesthetically pleasing. We also communicate, on behalf of our clients, with the playground companies that we have selected for their innovative designs and attention to safety.

Unfortunately, not all playground equipment companies are created equal. Children need to interact with nature, too. The designs incorporate natural elements, that encourage exploration, engage children’s curiosity, and offer visual stimulation.

Safety Inspections

Routine safety inspections are critical. They should be conducted daily by someone at the school, childcare, or park system. In addition, annual inspections should be conducted, especially when renovations are made. But playground equipment ages, and it’s important to ensure that the equipment is working properly, there is no trash that could injure, and perhaps most importantly, the resilient surfacing is the appropriate depth for the height of the equipment.

Safety inspections are crucial for protecting children from hazards that they cannot anticipate. Further, safety inspections may protect schools and centers from lawsuits such that the safety inspection demonstrates the school or center’s standard of care. Teachers and caregivers are potentially protected from injury lawsuits when they can show that they are familiar with the playground, are aware of safety concerns, and report those concerns to the appropriate party.

We want to encourage teachers to see themselves as playleaders on the playground, facilitating play and watching for potentially unsafe play.

Teacher/Caregiver Training

Parents, teachers, and caregivers will all benefit from the training services we provide. We cover topics ranging from children’s play to play environments, even at home. Parents learn how to stimulate play at home in the backyard. And teachers and caregivers learn how to facilitate child-directed play in the school or center environment. The focus of the training is on the use of “loose parts”.

Training topics may cover, but are not limited to, children’s play, child development, facilitating play on a budget, and identifying hazards on the playground. Children’s play covers the developmental benefits of play. Child development is a survey of the developmental needs of children at each stage of development. Facilitating play on a budget examines how to provide a creative, loose parts play environment on a budget. Finally, participants learn what playground hazards are, how to identify them, and what action to take.

Maintenance and Repairs

Playgrounds, much like cars, must be maintained frequently and regularly. They need attention to resilient surfacing every day to make sure the surfacing stays at the correct depth and even throughout the equipment fall zone. Also, occasionally, playground equipment will break, so daily inspections of the equipment will ensure that the equipment will be roped off until repairs may be made.

Playground equipment repairs should be made in a timely fashion with a sense of urgency. Contact Playground Partners to act on your behalf to get the repairs done. In many cases, Playground Partners will be able to make the repairs for you.