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Waldorf and Playground Safety

There have been rumors about unsafe playgrounds at Waldorf Schools. However, these rumors have never been substantiated to me. Nonetheless, it's important to keep in mind that because Waldorf schools are private, Waldorf playgrounds don't have to be inspected. So, Waldorf schools are responsible for self-inspecting their playgrounds.

It's possible that your Waldorf school could improve playground safety. This possibility isn't due to anything inherent in Waldorf. Rather it is inherent in all playgrounds that are not required to be inspected. There is always room for improvement I call it the car seat effect: we've all heard that most parents don't install car seats correctly, yet we all try to. It seems as though playground safety is equally elusive, even to concerned builders.

Bottom Line

While playground safety is a serious matter, it can be easily addressed through inspection and action. If you're concerned about the safety of your child on the Waldorf playground, you owe it to him/her to check it out for yourself. "Better safe than sorry." Here's one approach:

Digging Deeper

Improving Playground Safety

  1. INSPECT: Print and complete this Playground Safety Report Card.
  2. IDENTIFY areas that require improvement.
  3. SHARE your findings with your Waldorf community, perhaps in class parents' meetings, or on your prospective parent's tour.
  4. INFORM your children, and ask them to modify their behavior if necessary.
  5. ACT: Work with your school to set hard deadlines on specific improvement goals. Ask "What will it take to fix this?" and "When will we get it done?" "What's the completion date?" "Who is responsible for the shedule?"

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