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 15-11-55-1.11.9 - Outdoor Playground Area

Current through June 25, 2024
All licensed child care facilities are required to have
						an adequate outdoor playground area. All playgrounds and playground equipment
						intended for use by children 2-12 years of age shall meet the standards set
						forth in the Handbook for Public Playground Safety, Publication No. 325,
						published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or its successor as
						shown in Appendix "D."
1. The child
					 care facility shall be equipped with an outdoor playground area that directly
					 adjoins the indoor facilities or that can be reached by a route free of hazards
					 and is no farther than 1/8 mile (660 feet) from the child care facility. The
					 outdoor playground area shall comprise a minimum of 75 square feet for each
					 child using the outdoor playground area at any one time.
2. The total outdoor playground area shall
					 accommodate at least 33 percent of the licensed capacity at one time.
3. A rooftop used as an outdoor playground
					 area shall be enclosed with a fence not less than six feet high and designed to
					 prevent children from climbing it. An approved fire escape shall lead from the
					 roof to an open space at the ground level that meets safety standards for
					 outdoor playground areas.
4. The
					 outdoor playground area shall be well arranged so that all areas are visible to
					 staff at all times.
5. The outdoor
					 playground area shall be free of hazards and not less than 30 feet (measured
					 horizontally parallel to the ground) from electrical transformers, high-voltage
					 power lines, electrical substations, railroad tracks, or sources of toxic fumes
					 or gases. Hazards, including but not limited to air conditioner units and
					 utility mains, meters, tanks, and/or cabling shall be inaccessible to children.
					 Fencing at least four feet high shall be provided around the outdoor playground
					 area. Fencing higher than four feet but not to exceed eight feet may be
					 required if the licensing authority determines that a hazard exists. Fencing
					 twist wires and bolts shall face away from the playground. As an alternative,
					 exposed bolt ends may be cut to no more than two exposed threads. Then the bolt
					 ends shall be ground/sanded smooth or capped.
6. Outdoor playground areas shall be free
					 from unprotected swimming and wading pools, ditches, quarries, canals,
					 excavations, fishponds, or other bodies of water.
7. Sunlit areas and shaded areas shall be
					 provided by means of open space and tree plantings or other cover in outdoor
					 spaces. Outdoor spaces shall be laid out to ensure ample shaded space for each
					 child.
8. The outdoor playground
					 area shall be enclosed with a fence. The fence shall be at least four feet in
					 height and the bottom edge shall be no more than three and one-half (31/2)
					 inches off the ground. There shall be at least two exits from such areas, with
					 at least one remote from the buildings. The gate latch or securing device shall
					 be high enough or of such a type that it cannot be opened by small children.
					 The openings in the fence shall be no greater than three and one-half (31/2)
					 inches, e.g., between the building and the fence. The fence shall be
					 constructed to discourage climbing.
9. The soil in outdoor playground areas shall
					 not contain hazardous levels of any toxic chemical or substances. The child
					 care facility shall have soil samples and analyses performed where there is
					 good reason to believe a problem may exist.
10. The soil in outdoor playground areas
					 shall be analyzed for lead content initially. It shall be analyzed at least
					 once every two years where the exteriors of adjacent buildings and structures
					 are painted with lead-containing paint. Lead in soil shall not exceed 400 ppm.
					 Testing and analyses shall be in accordance with procedures specified by the
					 licensing agency.
Miss. Code Ann.
						§
												43-20-8.