Thank you to Yousif Al-Baldawi, BSc, MSc student at the University of Ottawa, for providing this post.

Are Outdoor-Focused Childcare Programs Safe? A Look at Injuries in Canadian Early Childhood Education Programs

Injury Statistics in Outdoor Compared to Conventional Early Childhood Education (ECE) Programs in Canada: A Lay Summary

Outdoor play is widely recognized as essential for children’s health and development. It encourages physical activity, builds confidence, and helps children learn to assess and manage risk. However, many parents and educators worry that outdoor environments might be more dangerous than traditional indoor settings. This research study aimed to address a key question: Are children more likely to be injured in outdoor-focused early childhood education (ECE) programs compared to conventional ones?

Researchers surveyed 150 conventional and 160 outdoor-focused ECE programs across Canada in early 2023. The survey asked about the number and types of injuries that occurred in 2022, the activities children were doing when injured, and where the injuries happened (indoors or outdoors). In total, 39 programs (13 conventional and 26 outdoor-focused) provided usable data, capturing over 1,750 children.

What Did They Find?

The majority of injuries reported were minor — things like scrapes, cuts, and nosebleeds. We found that while 72% of minor injuries happened outdoors, the rate (i.e., injuries per hour) of minor outdoor injuries was higher in conventional programs than in outdoor-focused ones. In other words, outdoor programs, despite being based in nature and encouraging more active, sometimes risky play, had fewer minor injuries per child per hour outdoors compared to conventional programs. This finding challenges the assumption that outdoor programs are inherently riskier.

For more serious injuries (those requiring medical attention or emergency care) there were no significant differences between the two types of programs. Moderate injuries (like sprains or stitches) and severe injuries (like broken bones or head trauma) were rare. Only 35 moderate and 7 severe injuries were reported across all programs. Most of the severe injuries occurred in conventional programs, but the numbers were too small to draw firm conclusions.

What Activities and Surfaces Were Involved?

Running was the most common activity linked to injuries in both types of programs. Climbing and rough-and-tumble play were also frequent causes. The surfaces where injuries occurred differed between program types. In conventional programs, injuries often happened on hard surfaces like pavement or indoor floors. In outdoor programs, injuries were more likely to occur on natural surfaces like forest floors, grass, or dirt, surfaces that may cushion falls better.

What About Gender Differences?

The study also looked at whether boys or girls were more likely to get injured. Minor injuries were fairly evenly split between boys and girls. However, boys were more likely to experience moderate and severe injuries, especially in conventional programs.

What Could Explain the Lower Injury Rates in Outdoor-Focused Programs?

The researchers suggest a few possible reasons why outdoor programs had lower injury rates. First, children in outdoor programs may develop better risk assessment skills because they regularly play in more varied and challenging environments. Educators in these programs also tend to be more experienced in managing risky play and may involve children in assessing and managing risks themselves.

Another possibility is that minor injuries in outdoor settings are seen as a normal part of play and may be underreported. For example, a scraped knee from running in the woods might not be considered worth documenting, whereas the same injury in conventional programs might be.

What Does This Mean for Parents and Educators?

This study provides early evidence that outdoor-focused childcare programs are not only safe but may actually result in fewer minor injuries than conventional programs. While more research is needed, especially with larger samples and more detailed injury tracking, these findings challenge the idea that outdoor-focused childcare is inherently riskier.

Read the full manuscript here.