Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health › Part 11 - Bureau of Child Care Facilities › Subpart 55 - Child Care Facilities Licensure › Chapter 1 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING LICENSURE OF CHILD CARE FACILITIES FOR 12 OF FEWER CHILDREN IN THE OPERATOR'S HOME › Subchapter 11 - BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS › Rule 15-11-55-1.11.10 - Indoor Playground Area

Current through June 25, 2024
In addition to the required outdoor playground area a
						licensed child care facility may also provide an indoor playground area. Child
						care facilities licensed prior to July 1, 2009 that have been granted
						permission to have an indoor playground area in lieu of an outdoor playground
						area shall be not be required to have an outdoor playground. However, it is
						highly recommended that if possible an outdoor playground area should also be
						provided. For child care facilities which provide such an indoor playground
						area the following items apply:
1. The
					 total indoor playground area shall accommodate at least 33 percent of the
					 licensed capacity at one time.
2.
					 The indoor playground area shall be well arranged so that all areas are visible
					 to staff at all times.
3. The
					 indoor playground area shall be free of hazards.
4. Indoor playground areas shall be laid out
					 to ensure ample clearance space for the use of each item: nine feet around
					 fixed items and 15 feet around any moving part. Equipment shall be situated so
					 that clearance space allocated to one piece of equipment does not encroach on
					 that of another piece of equipment.
5. Swings shall have a clearance area of nine
					 feet in all directions beyond the swing beam.
6. All fixed playground equipment shall have
					 a minimum of nine feet clearance space from walkways and other structures that
					 are not used as part of play activities.
7. All equipment shall be arranged so that
					 children playing on one piece of equipment will not interfere with children
					 playing on or running to another piece of equipment.
8. Moving equipment (e.g., swings,
					 merry-go-rounds) shall be located toward the edge or corner of an indoor
					 playground area or shall be designed in such a way as to discourage children
					 from running into the path of moving equipment.
9. All pieces of indoor playground equipment
					 shall be surrounded by a resilient surface of an acceptable depth or by rubber
					 mats manufactured for such use, consistent with the guidelines of the Consumer
					 Product Safety Commission, and the Standard of the American Society for Testing
					 and Materials, extending beyond the external limits of the piece of equipment
					 for at least four feet beyond the fall zone of the equipment. These resilient
					 surfaces shall conform to the standard stating that the impact from falling
					 from the height of the structure will be less than or equal to peak
					 deceleration 200G. Organic materials that support colonization of molds and
					 bacteria shall not be used.
10.
					 Indoor space designated as playground may be used by other individuals when the
					 area is not in use by children attending the facility. However, children of the
					 child care facility shall have priority use of the indoor playground area and
					 the area may not be used by others when children are using it. The indoor
					 playground space shall not count as additional classroom space when determining
					 the maximum capacity of the facility.
Miss. Code Ann.
						§
												43-20-8.