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Most U.S. Playgrounds Unsafe

A majority of America's playgrounds at schools, parks and child care centers are unfit for children and, on average, barely receive a passing grade, according to a year-long study by the National Program for Playground Safety.

The study results, "How Safe Are America's Playgrounds: Risk Factor Survey," represent the first comprehensive, random study of its kind. Overall, the country received a grade of C- on playground safety. The accompanying table reveals how individual states faired.

State Rankings

Alabama	C -
Arkansas	C -
Connecticut	C
Delaware	B
Florida	D -
Hawaii	C -
Indiana	C +
Iowa	C -
Kentucky	C
Maine	C
Maryland	B -
Massachusetts	C +
Michigan	D -
Mississippi	C -
Missouri	C -
New Hampshire	C +
New Jersey	C -
New Mexico	B -
New York	C
North Carolina	C -
Pennsylvania	C +
Rhode Island	C +
South Carolina	C
Vermont	C -
Virginia	C
Washington	C -
Wisconsin	D +

* The remaining states will be included in the overall study and will receive a report card by the year 2000.

According to the NPPS, parents, educators and daycare providers can address and potentially prevent the problem areas that surfaced in the study. The acronym S-A-F-E is a tool to help parents remember the four most critical areas in maintaining playground safety.

Supervision: Make sure an adult is present at the playground and actively watching while children play. Survey the play area for hazards such as broken glass or pieces of metal before allowing children on the equipment.
Age-appropriate equipment: Guide children to play on equipment that is at a size they can handle and safe for their age and level of ability. For example, overhead ladders are too difficult for children ages 2-5.
Falls: Look for soft materials like wood chips and rubber products or pea gravel and sand, which cushion falls. Asphalt, concrete, dirt or grass are not appropriate.
Equipment: Inspect the playground for the following:
Check the condition of ladders, platforms and steps, and guardrails.
Look for soft seats on swings and adequate spacing between swings.
Check that slides are well-anchored and have firm handrails and steps.
Check see-saws for soft bumpers under seats, easily gripped handles and covered pivot-points that cannot pinch tiny fingers.
See that merry-go-rounds are firmly anchored, have good handles and are positioned so that children cannot slide underneath. There should be a governor on the merry-go-round that regulates the speed.
Ask if the school, child care center or parks department schedules a maintenance program and if you can see inspection reports. (The Consumer Products Safety Commission has issued guidelines for the inspection and maintenance of playgrounds and their equipment.)

The release of the survey findings precedes Playground Safety Day, April 29, which a majority of governors nationwide will officially recognize.

A more detailed guide, as well as extensive and free information about all aspects of playground design and safety are available by calling 1-800-554-PLAY. Educational materials designed for use in schools are also available.

For more on the study, visit the National Program for Playground Safety, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0161, 800-554-PLAY.

Don't Touch That Dial

National Turn Off The TV Week, April 22 - 28, is observed in thousands of schools and homes and gives families the chance to participate in quality time without the distraction of the tube.

Americans watch an estimated 250 billion hours of television annually, or more than four hours of television each day. Last year, organizers claim that some 8 million people went cold turkey.

"Turning off the TV allows the child to tune into the rest of the familywhile building better brains," says Dr. William Sears, pediatric advisor totoysmart.com, the worlds largest on-line educational toy store and parentingresource. "Instead of being passively entertained, children exercisetheir mind a lot more and become more interactive with toys, parents, andfriends. Much more lasting and meaningful relationships will be developed."

Thinking ahead and planning how to keep the kids busy will prevent manyparental headaches. Options to "The Simpsons," "Pokemon," and "The Batman/Superman Hour" include playing board games, visiting the library, planting a kids garden and going to the beach or park.

To get involved in the fifth annual National TV-Turnoff Week, visit TV-Free America. The organization sells an "Organizer's Kit," a 48-page guidebook includes pledge cards three full color posters, three bumper stickers, facts/figures, talking points, articles, essays and many useful items designed for easy reproduction and distribution. The $10 cost is fully tax-deductible. A Spanish language version of the kit is available on request.

Glass Ceiling is Cracking

The glass ceiling that in the past has kept many women from pursuing careers in multimedia is cracking, according to 21 top female professionals in the industry.

Linda Jacobson, who holds the title of virtual reality evangelist at SGI and others recently shared their wisdom, mistakes and career secrets with students representing 15 San Francisco Bay Area high schools at "Women in Media Day." The event was designed to encourage girls to pursue multimedia careers.

"The reality has been -- and still is -- that you have to work very hard and be much better than the guys if you're going to be successful," said Judy Elliott-Brown, an audio systems designer who has also worked on recording crews for four Grammy-nominated albums.

The women, divided into three panels representing creative, technical and business careers, discussed the often-indirect paths that led them to their current jobs, as well as their job descriptions and qualifications.

Changes Sought in Nanny/Au Pair Rules

To strengthen oversight and general accountability of au pair programs and identify and reduce potential risk of injury to program participants, the U.S. Information Agency has proposed stricter rules.

While not specifically citing former British au pair Louise Woodward's 1997 manslaughter conviction in the death of a Massachusetts baby, the proposed rule changes appear to be as a result of that highly publicized case.

The agency's proposals include:

Banning the placement of an au pair with a family unless the family has specifically agreed that a parent or other responsible adult will remain in the home for the first three days following the au pair's arrival.
Banning the placement of an au pair with a host family having children under the age of two, unless the au pair has at least 200 hours of documented infant child care experience.
Requiring that host parents and other adults living full-time in the household have successfully passed a background investigation including employment and personal character references.
Requiring that the host family have adequate financial resources to undertake all hosting obligations.
Mandating the sponsor provide a summation of all complaints regarding host family or au pair participation in the program, specifying the nature of the complaint, its resolution, and whether any unresolved complaints are outstanding.
Mandating the sponsor provide a summation of the results of an annual survey of all host family and au pair participants regarding satisfaction with the program, its strengths and weaknesses.

The new rules, which were published in the April 13 edition of The Federal Register, take effect after a 30-day public comment period.

For further information, contact Sally Lawrence, Exchange VisitorProgram Services, Program Designation Branch, United States InformationAgency, 301 4th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547; Telephone (202)401-9810.

Most Child Care Facilities Contain Hazards

At least two-thirds of U.S. child care facilities have at least one safetyhazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The CPSC visited four types of licensed child care settings, includingfederal, non-profit, for-profit and in-home. "Some hazards are obvious, likeplayground surfacing that has worn thin," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "Other hazards arehidden dangers that may not be obvious. Even the best parents and child careproviders may not be aware of these hidden hazards."

Many child care settings provide safe environments for young children. Yet,CPSC knows of at least 56 children who have died in child care settingssince 1990. In 1997, about 31,000 children, 4 years old and younger, weretreated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries at child care andschool settings.

The CPSC study looked at eight product areas with potential safety hazardsin child care settings selected at random. Following are the results:

38 percent had children wearing outerwear with drawstrings at the neck.
27 percent did not keep the playground surfacing well-maintained.
24 percent did not have safe playground surfacing.
26 percent had loops on the window blind cords.
19 percent had cribs containing soft bedding.
13 percent did not use child safety gates where necessary.
5 percent were using products that had been recalled by CPSC.

To help remedy the situation, CPSC has prepared a Child Care SafetyChecklist for child care providers and parents to use. The checklist willhelp caregivers become informed about hidden hazards by giving them a listof things to look for to make their homes and child care settings safer forchildren.

Parents can use the checklist when choosing child care settingsand ensuring that the child care provider is vigilant in monitoring productrecall announcements and removing dangerous items.

The CPSC checklist includes:

Cribs -- Make sure cribs meet current national safety standards and are in good condition. Look for a certification safety seal. Older cribs may not meet current standards. Crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8" apart, and mattresses should fit snugly. (This can prevent strangulation and suffocation associated with older cribs and mattresses that are too small.)
Soft bedding -- Be sure that no pillows, soft bedding, or comforters are used when you put babies to sleep. Babies should be put to sleep on their backs in a crib with a firm, flat mattress. (This can help reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation related to soft bedding.)
Playground surfacing -- Look for safe surfacing on outdoor playgrounds - at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials. (This helps protect against injuries from falls, especially head injuries.)
Playground maintenance -- Check playground surfacing and equipment regularly to make sure they are maintained in good condition. (This can help prevent injuries, especially from falls.)
Safety gates -- Be sure that safety gates are used to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, especially stairs. (Safety gates can protect against many hazards, especially falls.)
Window blind and curtain cords -- Be sure miniblinds and venetian blinds do not have looped cords. Check that vertical blinds, continuous looped blinds, and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. (These safety devices can prevent strangulation in the loops of window blind and curtain cords.)
Clothing drawstrings -- Be sure there are no drawstrings around the hood and neck of children' outerwear clothing. Other types of clothing fasteners, like snaps, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro), should be used. (Drawstrings can catch on playground and other equipment and can strangle young children.)
Recalled products -- Check that no recalled products are being used and that a current list of recalled children's products is readily visible.

Ensuring Medical Support for Children

A new U.S. governmental committee will study and provide recommendations on how to improve the enforcement of medical support obligations for children

Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and Labor Secretary AlexisM. Herman announced formation of the Medical Child Support Group to analyze theproblem and propose solutions.

"Today there are still too many children who are without medical insurance because non- custodial parents are not providing what they should," Secretary Shalala said in a press release. "We're confident this working group will suggest concrete steps to ensure effective enforcement of medical support."

In addition, the working group is expected to study measures that establisha non-custodial parent's responsibility to share the cost of premiums,co-payments, deductibles or payments for service not covered under a child'sexisting health care coverage. Other issues to be discussed include thepriority of medical support withholding obligations.

The working group will submit a report to the Secretaries of Labor andHealth and Human Services by January 2000, recommending measures to improveenforcement of medical support.

* For more information on the Medical Child Support Group, visit the U.S. Department of Labor Web site.

Have a Baby, Win a Camera

All U.S. moms who have a baby on Mother's Day this year and apply to Eastman Kodak Company will receive a free camera, a roll of film with free processing and a coupon for a free picture CD.

To qualify for the Kodak Advantix Cameras Picture Perfect Mother's Day promotion, parents must be residents of the United States. To receive their free Kodak Advantix T550 camera and certificate for free processing and free Picture CD, parents should mail a certified copy of their newborn's birth certificate or adoption papers to Kodak Advantix Picture Perfect Mother's Day, PO Box 5431, Young America, MN 55558-5431.

Requests must be received by August 31, 1999, to qualify; birth certificates and adoption papers will not be returned. Kodak will send a T550 camera to all valid entries. No purchase is necessary to enter. There is a limit of one camera per family.

Canadian Parents Lack Child-Rearing Knowledge

Parents of children under six years of age have a major information deficit about how their children grow and develop emotionally and socially, according to a national Canadian poll.

The Canadian Parent Poll released today by Invest in Kids Foundation also revealed:

When put to the test, parents lack basic knowledge about child development
Parents are unsure and insecure about parenting
Parents think they have the most influence in social and emotional development, where they have the least knowledge about how to provide it
Only 40 percent of parents think Canada values its young children

Dr. Freda Martin, Chair, Invest in Kids Foundation Board of Advisors andDirector of the Hincks-Dellcrest Institute, says "at no time has society hadmore research on the importance of parenting, while simultaneously lessexperience and less education about parenting and fewer supports in place forparents."

The poll of more than 1,600 English and French speaking parents of youngchildren was conducted by Market Facts of Canada in January 1999 for Invest inKids Foundation. It is the first of its kind in Canada, where equal numbers ofmoms and dads were asked about their attitudes, knowledge and behavior aboutthe early child-rearing years.

Take Our Daughters To Work

The day dedicated to girls' ideas, spirit and dreams, "Take Our Daughters To Work Day," is April 22.

The day was started to focus attention on the needs and concerns of girls and to help them stay focused on their future during adolescence. Girls are the next generation of women leaders who will work in the world -- and change the world, according to the Ms. Foundation, creator of the event.

Girls ages nine to 15 and adults who care about all our daughters are encouraged to participate.

Working Mom Barbie

As part of a cross promotion, MacDonald Communications Corp., publisher of Working Woman and Working Mother magazines, joined forces with Mattel Inc. to create a working women Barbie doll.

Scheduled to be released this October, the doll is a career woman who carries all the tools that she needs to be successful -- her cell phone, her laptop computer, her handbag/briefcase, files, day planner, coffee cup and her copy of Working Woman magazine.

Working Moms a 'Traffic Issue'

Because of their busy and hectic lifestyles, the Michigan State Safety Commission has been identified working mothers as a "traffic safety issue."

College-educated women between 30- and 45-years-old admit they more frequently speed, run late and change lanes improperly than drivers as a whole.

On the positive side, this group was more likely than any other to insist that passengers buckle up.

"This comes down to a lifestyle issue," said Col. Michael D. Robinson,director of the Michigan State Police and MSSC chair. "Working parents oftenjuggle schedules of work, day care, doctor appointments and after-schoolactivities. This is an opportune time to remind everyone that traffic crashesare the leading cause of death for children, so it's imperative that we drivewith caution, especially when our children may be affected."

The survey queried 600 Michigan residents by phone. The commission will further explore and analyze this information, and see what it can do to communicate the importance of safe and courteous driving to everyone.