Parents consider outdoor play an important part of their child’s time at child careThe aim of this study was to explore parents’ perceptions and knowledge of the role of outdoor play in child care environments. A self-report survey of open- and closed-ended questions was completed by 98 parents (which also included grandparents or other caregivers) with children attending one of the twelve Seattle area child care centers participating in the study. Participants were recruited through on-site communication between researcher and parent, center distribution of the survey, and electronic distribution of the survey. In addition to collecting background information about the respondents and their children, the survey also addressed (a) parents’ perceptions of the value of outside playtime relative to other center activities, (b) their perceptions of potential barriers to outdoor play at the center, and (c) their experience of discussions with child care providers about outdoor playtime.
Results indicated that most parents valued outdoor play and wanted their child to spend significantly more time playing outside during a full day of child care than the recommended minimum of 60 minutes per day. More than half of the parents, however, indicated that they did not know how much time their child actually spent playing outside, and forty-three percent of the parents said that they did not know their child care center’s outdoor play policies.
Most of the parents in this study did not rate weather as a barrier to outdoor play: 68% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that their child should not play outside in the rain or snow; and 72% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that their child should not play outside in cold temperatures.
Other potential barriers that parents were asked to rate included their child’s illness, not having enough time in the morning to prepare weather-appropriate clothing, and being concerned that their child might be hurt while playing outdoors. While half of the parents (50%) felt that illness was a reason for their child to not play outside, 26% reported that they would let their child play outside when sick. Only 6% of the parents reported that they felt too rushed in the morning to get their child’s outdoor clothes ready, and 9% were worried about their child getting hurt while playing outside.
Most parents indicated that they did not have conversations with the staff about outdoor play. When they did, it was primarily staff reminding them to bring weather- and outdoor-appropriate clothing.
The results of this study indicate that parents do consider outdoor play an important part of their child’s time at child care but are not engaged in conversations about this with staff. The authors suggest that encouraging communication between parents and early childhood educators about outdoor play could increase support for promoting outdoor play opportunities for children, which are important for children’s health, development, and well-being.
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