Safety & Risk
Many states lack specific regulations, requiring outdoor and nature-based program leaders to develop policies, procedures, and expectations to address the uniqueness of their programs (NAAEE, 2022). Research indicates that program leaders, educators, and parents work together to create policies to ensure safety when using outdoor spaces more frequently and when going beyond the program facility (NAAEE, 2019). Different program types have different safety regulations, making it essential for program leaders to understand the rules and regulations governing their program type. However, safety rules for typical early childhood programs may not be sufficient to address the needs of outdoor and nature-based programs.
RatiosTeacher-to-child ratios in child care programs are determined by class size and children's ages (Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2025). Ratios for older children are higher than for infants and toddlers. Outdoor programs may need to adjust their ratios depending on the activity and how far they travel from the program base (NAAEE, 2019).
Other FactorsThe NAAEE identifies other safety factors that educators need to consider, including:
Safety Equipment
Risk Mitigation
Appropriate Risk TakingOutdoor and nature-based programs value appropriate risk-taking as a strategy for helping children develop skills.
Risk taking helps children develop skills such as:
In the book Balanced and Barefoot[1] (2016), pediatric occupational therapist and author Angela Hanscom discusses the research on how “overly safe environments impede physical development” (p. 121). Children need opportunities to fail and make mistakes so they can learn from them. Hanscom (2016) shares research showing how risky play, like running, jumping, climbing, and using tools, helps children overcome anxieties and build strength and should not be avoided out of fear. Risk AssessmentEducators should develop formal risk assessment plans for activities that might be considered controversial to help illustrate to parents the potential risks of the activity by explaining the policies and procedures designed to mitigate those risks, and how the activity ties to the curriculum and benefits children’s learning (NAAEE, 2019).
This is especially important when addressing beliefs about risks related to infants and toddlers. Many people feel that infants and toddlers are too young to take risks and worry about injury, which can be a barrier to providing outdoor play (Quinones, 2023). Quinones (2023) suggests that research shows young children are interested in watching older children engage in risky play, and that educators feel more capable of providing risky play activities for young children when they have planned for the experience. When planning activities, educators calculate the benefit of the risk and determine whether activities provide a healthy exposure to risk or unsafe exposure to hazards, understanding that not all risks will benefit children’s development (Hanscom, 2016; NAAEE, 2019). A risk evaluation continuum compares the level of control with the amount of risk involved in activities, ranging from overly controlled (low risk) to optimal (appropriate risk) to out of control (high risk), and helps educators choose appropriate risky play activities. (NAAEE, 2019, p 49.) Once educators have chosen appropriate risky play activities for the children, they should develop a risk assessment plan. Risk Assessment PlanRisk assessment plans detail the activity, the benefits, risks, and safety policies developed for the activity (NAAEE, 2019).
These plans are used to train educators and shared with parents to help address their safety concerns. A way to frame this is keeping children as safe as they need to be, rather than as safe as possible (Hanscom, 2016). Framing it this way and educating parents and caregivers with concerns about their child’s safety on the benefits of risk-taking helps educators have more agency to include different outdoor and nature-based activities, including playing outside in various types of weather, provided the children have the appropriate gear and equipment. |
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