Landscaping Design For Home Daycare

To develop the social skills of group play, communication and friendship among children, daycare providers should consider landscaping their backyard to provide children with a comfortable and safe environment. The main principles of site improvement are multifunctionality, aesthetics, safety, and involvement. Hire an experienced landscaping specialist to help turn your backyard into a fun area for kids.

The landscape contractor studies the relief of the territory, creates a plan, indicates the number of areas, and considers the existing buildings and plantings. Professionally executed landscaping of the daycare territory contributes to the safe rest and development of children.

The purpose of landscaping the home daycare territory 

Home daycare beautification aims to optimize your backyard for the harmonious development of children and ensure the safety of playing in nature. The territory of the daycare is being improved following their needs for the educational process.

Daycare backyard improvement rules

• For the convenience of children, you should allocate 7sq.m of space per child.
• In gazebos, terraces, under a canopy – 1.5 m2 per child.
• Optimal landscaping of 30% -50% of the backyard area.
• The outer perimeter of the daycare site is fenced off and planted with trees or shrubs around the edge.
• Trees are planted from structures at a distance of 5 m or more, 2 m – from communications, 10 m – from paths.
• The site must be flat, without slopes, hills, drainage system, ebb for water.
• The cleanliness of the backyard should be following sanitary standards.
• Sports areas are located in bright, spacious places with good visibility.

Safety requirements for playgrounds

To ensure the safety of children on the playground, follow these guidelines:

• Avoid sharp edges, corners in equipment, gear, and the interior of playgrounds;
• The holes in the structures should be wide enough, without clamps or corners, to prevent the child’s head, arms, legs or clothing from getting stuck;
• The dimensions of the structures must correspond to the age group of preschoolers (diameter of handrails, heights of steps, benches, tables, swings);
• Structures located at the height of more than a meter above the ground should be equipped with anti-slip rubber coating, handrails, handrails to prevent falls;
• Provide sustainability, simplicity, accessibility to facilities for adults and children;
• Cover the surface of the site in places of possible fall (stairs, swings, slides) with a softening material with shockproof properties – sand, lawn, wood flooring, plastic, foam or rubberized material based on concrete or artificial grass;
• Timely repair, paint, replace parts at objects;
• Do not use toxic, fire hazardous, poorly studied materials that are harmful to the health of the child;
• There should be no strong drafts in resting places.

Backyard zoning for home daycare

To make your backyard multifunctional and attractive, divide it into zones:

• Playground – a playground with equipment for games.
• Sports – with exercise equipment, objects for physical development.
• Walking (aesthetic) – with green spaces, flower beds, a pond, paths, lawn.
• Recreation – gazebos, sheds, reservoirs.
• Technical – for garden tools.

You can plan alleys, bushes, fences, flower beds, beds, paths, paths, pavilions, gazebos, sandboxes, various playgrounds or sports structures. To form a children’s aesthetic taste, you can create an alpine slide, a small pond or a dry stream.

Stages of improvement of the daycare yard

1. Survey of soil, drainage systems and drainage communications.
2. Planning of walking paths, planting sites.
3. Placement of functional areas (educational, play, sports, recreation), gazebos, awnings, benches.
4. Delivery and installation of equipment.
5. Landscaping of the object – planting of plants, arrangement of flower beds.
6. Removal of building materials, garbage.

When planning, experts consider the soil characteristics, the site’s location relative to the cardinal points, the presence and number of old plantations and buildings, the size of the territory, the number of children.

The landscape works are completed with the formation of lighting systems, irrigation, levelling the relief, the placement of auxiliary premises for storing sports or garden equipment, and the final cleaning of the garden from construction debris.

Playground coverings

Coverings for playgrounds are classified by type, structure, depreciation properties, price:

• The lawn is soft, environmentally friendly and safe.  Cons are high trampling, complex care (aeration, haircut, watering). An alternative is an artificial turf.
• Wood sawdust (chips) – environmentally friendly, soft. Cons are they stick when wet, easily spread throughout the territory, quickly end; in drought, they are fire hazards.
• Sand is cheap, popular and convenient. Minus – pollution of the yard, dangerous if it gets into the eyes.
• Plastic – soft, easy to clean, wear-resistant, suitable for play in damp weather. The downside is the high price.
• Rubber (tile, seamless coating) is smooth, easy to clean, has a damped (shock-absorbing) effect, does not retain moisture, aesthetic. It comes in different shades. Cons are high cost and shrinkage deformation during operation.

Supreme Contractors Group will help you create a comfortable, safe, unique landscape for your home daycare in Toronto that will delight children and adults. We are always glad to come to your aid!