FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS "RISKY PLAY"?
Risky play is described as "thrilling and exciting forms of physical play that involve uncertainty and a risk of physical injury". There are 8 categories of risky play that have been identified: Play at heights, Play at speed, Play involving tools, Play near unpredictable elements (such as fire or water), Rough and tumble play, Exploring alone, Play with impact and Vicarious play (where a child watches another child take a risk they are not yet ready to experiment with)
DO GO PLAY PROGRAMS QUALIFY FOR REGULAR DAYCARE SUBSIDY?
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Currently none of our programs are eligible for daycare subsidy that is offered from The Government. We aim to establish a variety of in house subsidies going forward for our outdoor recreational programs. When we manage to secure a space for a licensed childcare program we will certainly be connecting with whatever support is offered from Government at that time.
HOW DO I REGISTER MY CHILD INTO AÂ GO PLAY PROGRAM?
All programs are available for registration through our website under the heading "GO Play". Once your child or children are registered our program coordinator will contact you directly for enrollment. If you wish to enquire after drop in spots please contact us directly at grassrootsoutdoorplay@gmail.com. If your child is younger than 3Â but you would like to be included in our early years wait list, check out the bottom of the registration page for the early years waitlist.
ARE CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE PERMITTED TO REGISTER IN A GO PLAY PROGRAM?
The short answer is, Yes. It is written in the Community Care and Assisted Living act that children of school age may not enroll in programming outside of school. Children who are enrolled in traditional schooling will be offered enrollment during March break, PA days and other holidays. Families that choose to home school are welcome to enroll as a form of recreational partnership with a focus on nature education and group dynamics.
IS THE ENTIRE PROGRAM HELD OUTSIDE?
Currently all of our programming is held outdoors. We bring wagons with tarps and other supplies to manage the necessities. Some experts agree that children benefit greatly from a minimum of three hours a day outside participating in child lead play.
WHAT IS AN "ALL WEATHER PLAY" POLICY?
All weather can be fun in the right clothing, but hazardous weather is non-negotiable. Our outdoor programming will be held regardless of rain, snow or shine with appropriate adaptations unless judged to be too hazardous to proceed.
HOW WILL MY CHILD USE THE BATHROOM?
Ideally we can make it to a facility provided by the park area but every class is equipped with a bathroom and sanitation kit should nature catch your child by surprise. We do emphasis the importance of going before arrival and try to use the facilities provided whenever possible.
ISÂ THERE FOOD PROVIDED?
We do not provide food but we do ask that a snack is sent along with each child along with a water bottle and optionally, a reusable cup for hot or cold tea that is provided by the Group Leads if they should choose to partake in communal tea.
ARE ADULT CAREGIVERS AND GUARDIANS ALLOWED TO ATTEND WITH MY CHILD?
We hold family events, parent and child groups and child only groups. There are situations of enhanced support that are individual to families and in these cases we remain flexible to the needs of these families. In a licensed program we require the adult in question to obtain a Criminal Record Check if they intend to be present on a regular basis. In our nature recreation and education programs we welcome the presence of guardians that may want to attend for observation but recommend children attend without guardians to support their experience as an independant individual. All of our Group Leads are well versed in supporting seperation anxiety (both child and guardian based!)
HOW CAN I BE SURE MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE IS GOING TO BE ACCEPTED?
All of our content is derived from the list of acceptable topics provided by the MCF registry and our records are kept for requisition upon request of the registry. Our content creators are a range of specialists, professionals and leaders in their field of practice. Later this year, we will be excited to introduce these people through creator profiles as our content expands.
DO YOU OFFER 'IN PERSON' SEMINARS?
Yes! We are planning a collection of small group, outdoor sessions this spring and summer. The health landscape in our province continues to change but we are staying up to date with all directives from the various levels of health authority. Currently we only offer self led PDF courses with correspondence quizzes but aim to offer live Zoom options for small groups or work places groups in early 2022.
WHAT IF I LOSE MY CERTIFICATE SHOWING MY HOURS?
All of our certificates are tracked and registered to each participant to avoid duplications or forgery. A replacement certificate will only be issued once at a fee of 5.00 CADÂ per certificate. The replacement will be marked as a second copy and the initial certificate will no longer be valid for submittal to the registry.