6.6. SR 05-15-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The distance from the main entrance to the proposed playground is approximately 210 feet. We need to make this route as safe as possible. Children will never be allowed to go to the playground without being accompanied by a staff member. Upon leaving the main entrance, children will be required to walk in an orderly fashion and use the ~buddy" system. The children will need to cross the 3rd Street parking lot entrances, one is 45 feet wide and the other is 36 feet wide. These crosswalks will need to be properly marked with yellow stdping and/or white blocking. In addition, school zone signs and/or pedestrian crossing signs will need to be clearly visible for vehicles coming from 3rd Street into the parking lot or exiting from the parking lot onto 3rd Street. There are no obstructions (trees, signs, bushes, etc.) or blind spots where the crosswalks are to be located. Staff and/or children will act as crossing guards while children are in the crosswalk area. Once the children are across the first parking lot entrance, a walkway will be built up to the next parking lot entrance. This walkway will be constructed by moving the first row of parking, which faces 3rd Street, back (south) eight feet. This will allow adequate room to build a safe walkway to the playground area. Currently, 8x8's surround the boulevard landscaping, the thought being a second set of 8x8's would be laid eight feet away to form the walkway. While children are in the walkway, staff members will be responsible for keeping the children within a contained area that is predictable to drivers. At no time will children be allowed to go to or from the playground without adult supervision. As many schools do, the staff member at the playground will have a First Aid Kit and a two-way radio, and be able to communicate with other staff members in the building in the case of an emergency or if a child needs to use the bathroom. Utilizing the two-way radios insures the staff member at the playground has a backup and that no child will be unattended in the playground, walkway, or parking lot areas. It will be required that all staff members have First Aid and CPR training. If a staff member does not have adequate training, proper training will be made available to them. The proposed playground is within the guidelines fumished by the Department of Human Services Child Care Centers, Chapter 9503, Section 9503.0155 Facility, Subpart 7, which states: Subpart 7, Outdoor Activity Area: An outdoor activity area that complies with the following items must be provided or available for all child care programs except those licensed to exclusively provide sick care as specified in part 9503.0085, drop in care as specified in part 9503.0075, and those operating for less that three hours a day. A. A center must have an outdoor activity area of at least 1,500 square feet, and there must be at least 75 square feet of space per child within the area at any given time during use. B. An outdoor activity area used daily by children under school age must be within 2,000 feet of the center or transportation must be provided by the license holder. In no case, however, shall the outdoor activity area be farther than one-half mile from the center. C. The area must be enclosed if it is located adjacent to a traffic, rail, water, machinery, or other environmental hazard, unless the area is a public park or playground. D. The area must be free of liter, rubbish, toxic materials, water hazard, machinery, animal waste, and sewage contaminants. E. The area must contain the outdoor large muscle equipment required by part 9503.0065. Being in accordance with the guidelines defined by the Department of Human Services Child Care Centers, Chapter 9503, would also insure the playground area was in accordance with the guidelines for private school outdoor activity areas. All play equipment would conform to specified standards. Such as, number of swings required, surface covedng requirements, requirement for covered sandboxes, etc. Page 2 of 2