Providing your church family with resources and activities is a wonderful way to enrich their lives. Outdoor recreation is an important part of building a healthy lifestyle, and what better place to foster these interactions than at your church? This way, families can play before and after your service and increase the amount of time they spend at your congregation.
After building many church playgrounds across the country, here are some tips for choosing the right type of play equipment for your faith center.
Research the Americans with Disabilities Act and CPSC Guidelines
The ADA has specific accessibility guidelines for playgrounds and playground equipment. Religious organizations typically have no obligations under the ADA, but we still think it’s important to do so. Making your church playground accessible to children with disabilities promotes inclusion and makes it easier for all families to participate.
In addition to the ADA, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines for playgrounds and other licensing, rules and regulations in your local community. Church playgrounds are an investment so you want to be sure that your playground is compliant, accessible and safe.
Determine the Needs of Your Playground
Before you choose your playground equipment, determine what your playground needs to be safe, attractive and functional. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What is the size and shape of the playground site?
- How many children will be using the playground at one time?
- What are the ages of the children who will be using the playground?
- What type of safety surfacing will we use?
- Do we plan to install our playground equipment?
Evaluate the Existing Equipment
If there’s already a playground, assess the condition of the current equipment. You might be able to utilize some of the equipment to save money. Of course, never sacrifice quality and safety for cost. Any equipment that has missing or broken pieces should be repaired or replaced. And, if the current equipment hasn’t held up well, consider a different material this time around. And be sure to choose commercial grade playground equipment.
Determine Your Church Playground Budget
Your budget will determine what type of equipment you can include in your church playground. Keep in mind that equipment is only part of the budget. You also need to account for installation, surfacing, disposal fees, freight fees, storage fees and site preparation. If you have a big design in mind but don’t have the budget at this time, consider building your playground in phases. Another consideration for maximizing your playground budget is to consider a community build or a supervised install.
Select Your Playground Equipment
With all of the information on hand, you can now choose equipment for your church playground. Compare equipment and providers to see what you can get for the budget. Cunningham Recreation offers affordable playgrounds for faith centers and churches all across the country. Choose between freestanding play equipment or play structures that have various types of play combined in one main structure.
Make your playground project easy and affordable with Cunningham Recreation. Contact us today to learn about your options and how to get started. It can be as easy as 1,2, 3. 1 – selecting your playground equipment, 2 – ordering your playground equipment, 3 – installing your equipment and seeing your playground dreams come to life.
