http://www.fivestarsafety.com/child-safety/school-safety.html School safety is an issue that all parents and caregivers should be paying special attention to. en-us Mon, 01 May 2006 07:25:20 EDT Mon, 01 May 2006 07:25:20 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 There are many aspects to ensuring proper school safety for our children. This measures vary depending on the age of the children that are in attendance as well as what part of the country one lives in. But, on this page we will concentrate on the playgrounds that are at every school up to high school - high school safety will be covered on subsequent pages. Here we need to focus on the elementary school safety issue of the playground, where thousands of children are injured each year. Keeping the playground safe The playground is a common place for injury, but there are some measures that should be in place there to provide overall child safety. Take the time as a parent or caregiver to double check your child's playground, it could save your child from an avoidable injury. Here are a few things to look out for when making sure the playground is up to par with school safety standards: All playground should have their surfaces covered with a soft material that makes impact less threatening. Materials such as wood-chips should be at least a foot thick, or they should be covered with the new rubber surfaces that we already see in many places. Check to see how many people they have supervising the children at all times when they are present on the playground and voice your concern to the principal if you feel as though it is inadequate supervision. Check that the ground of the playground extends out far enough so that no matter what a child falls from, including the swings, they will be protected by the soft "floor". This is basic school safety. Look over the playground for anything that sticks out and could snag or pierce someone. The edges of all of the equipment should be smooth and not sharp, report any edges that could easily cut a child. There should be guardrails surrounding any elevated play area to prevent falls. Gaps in the equipment should either be less than 3 inches or more than 9, in order to prevent the children from getting stuck in between. This doesn't really concern hazing, but that's still an important topic to keep in mind. Summing up school safety These are just a few of the things to look out for, and not just for school safety, but for playground safety in general. Even if your child is not yet of school age, they may have similar equipment at their pre-school and that too should be assessed for proper preschool safety. There are enough children that do get hurt on the playground every year to make this a concern. Take it upon yourself and make sure that they grow up to be safe teens as well! Mon, 01 May 2006 07:25:20 EDT http://www.fivestarsafety.com/child-safety/hazing.html Hazing can be both fun and dangerous. en-us Mon, 01 May 2006 07:20:23 EDT Mon, 01 May 2006 07:20:23 EDT Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.fivestarsafety.com/child-safety/high-school-safety.html High school safety - your teenagers might think that they no longer need you, but when it comes to high school safety they often do not know the best course of action. en-us Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:40:25 EST Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:40:25 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.fivestarsafety.com/child-safety/elementary-school-safety.html Elementary school safety - one of he biggest risks to elementary school safety is kidnapping, learn how your child can protect themselves and make sure that they are aware of what they can do to avoid being abducted. en-us Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:03:48 EST Thu, 01 Dec 2005 14:03:48 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 http://www.fivestarsafety.com/child-safety/preschool-safety.html Preschool safety - the best way to ensure preschool safety for your child is to check out the program you will sending them to in advance. en-us Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:43:06 EST Thu, 01 Dec 2005 13:43:06 EST Weblog Editor 2.0