Daycare operators have been left scratching their heads due to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment’s (ECE) proposal to ban the use of outdoor playground equipment during the winter.
However, during an interview, a department director said it was not a ban, but a recommendation and a reminder.
The proposal came with neither a warning nor consultation beforehand, according to the NWT Early Childhood Association (NWTECA).
ECE had written a letter to all early learning and child-care operators on Nov. 24, requiring licensed operators to refrain from using playground equipment for the duration of the winter to lessen the likelihood of injuries to children during outdoor play.
The letter was signed by Shelley Kapraelian, ECE’s director for early learning and child care.
In an interview with Kapraelian about the letter, she said it’s not about banning the use of equipment, but recommending that the playground equipment not be used if it doesn’t meet the manufacturers’ requirements and instructions.
She said there will be a follow-up letter to clarify safety at all times.
When Yellowknifer pointed out that what she said was contradicting what the letter stated, Kapraelian said the letter was meant to remind program operators it’s their responsibility to follow instructions for playground equipment and in the winter, it’s important to often check that equipment surfaces are still safe for use.
Kapraelian said the reason why the letter only mentioned licensed daycares, but not schools, was because of a difference in legislation.
“As a director for early childhood, I was communicating around what’s related to the Early Childhood Daycare Act, and schools are under the Education Act,” she explained. “That separates (the two) and it was under the authorities of district education authorities and superintendents, so there was no impact on the use of equipment on the playground at schools from ECE.”
No warning or consultation beforehand
In the original letter dated Nov. 24, Kapraelian stated that “… fixed playground equipment like climbers, slides, and monkey bars rely on proper surfacing materials such as sand, rubber surfacing, wood chips etc. to protect children when using them. When the ground is frozen, and/or snow covered, the capacity of these materials to protect children from injury is limited. Children are also required to be dressed in outdoor clothing such as snow pants, scarves, and mittens that limit their typical capacity to use this equipment safely.”
In response, Patricia Davison, chair of the NWTECA, said it was a dramatic move, one which came with no warning.
“We believe requiring licensed operators to refrain from using playground equipment for the duration of the winter season is detrimental to children’s development,” she said. “It doesn’t really specify the type of playground equipment, what they mean by the winter season — I mean, we have eight to 10 months of winter.”
Davison sent a letter back with concerns about how ECE approaches were not really thoughtful and she feels like there were still a lot of the things that needed to happen before the correspondence was circulated.
In the response letter, Davison suggested that ECE implied that daycare operators were unable to keep children safe and, if so, there was a solution: training in risk benefit analysis.
“Risk benefit analysis is a process that examines the potential play experience to determine if the action occurs, what the chance and level of injury may be,” she said.
The letter to ECE also addressed that to refrain from using playground equipment can be detrimental to children’s development. The association had pointed out promising practices in early childhood cite the importance of risky play to holistic child development.
Davison said ECE did not respond to the suggestions that NWTECA provided.
Rylund Johnson, MLA for Yellowknife North, said he was not in agreement with ECE’s approach.
“I guess I‘m just really confused where is this coming from and why, all of sudden, this had become a decision to be made,” he said. “We, in our schools, have tried really hard to introduce more aspects of outdoor play, on-the-land learning, getting kids to use tools and equipment that they don’t get down south — it’s something that we should be proud of.
“All of a sudden, for Northern jurisdictions to say, ‘Oh, don’t use playgrounds in the winter is just insane. It’s winter here more than half a year.”
Kapraelian said based on the fact there was miscommunication, she will follow up to make sure that the intent of the letter was to remind everyone about the importance of safety in winter months and to address anything that may have been misunderstood in the initial letter.