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Registered Playground Practitioner

Instructed By:

Andrew Harvey

Andrew Harvey is a Registered Playground Practitioner, Certified Playground Inspector,  Landscape Designer and owner of Grace-Kells Consultant with over 10 years experience with children's play spaces. His specialities include playground safety and accessibility, playground design, school grounds greening and participatory design. Andrew regularly collaborates on school grounds greening projects and annually conducts research visits at early childhood education centres in Japan. He has a graduate degree in landscape architecture and is a full member of the Association des architectes paysagistes du Québec as well as an affiliate member of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects.

PleaOntario Parks Association (OPA) developed the Registered Playground Practitioner Program to meet the needs of those involved with, and responsible for, the installation, inspection, and maintenance of public playspaces and playground facilities. The Ontario Parks Association instructors include experts from the industry including an architect, liability expert, lawyer, and a representative of the CSA Standards Association. 

Upon completion of the program and achievement of a passing grade in the written examination(s) the participant will be registered by the Ontario Parks Association as a "Playground Practitioner" and is qualified to inspect playgrounds. The OPA Registered Playground Practitioner Program is recognized as a playground safety course for inspectors by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Your "Playground Practitioner" registration will be valid for 4 years post completion date, at that time a mandatory update/refresher course will be necessary to keep your registration valid. 


PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES TO COURSE EFFECTIVE FALL 2024: 

- Course length is now only 4 days in length! 

- Exam to be taken online; to be completed by 4:00 p.m. following Wednesday of course.

- Registration as "Playground Practitioner" for the course will now be valid for 4 years, and then mandatory update/refresher will be necessary.


This course teaches:
  • Playspace Strategies (space requirements, playability, access/egress requirements, playspace design, age appropriate issues, playspace materials, & playspace construction)
  • Playspace Evaluation (playvalue and hazard identification, inspection and maintenance, surfacing evaluation, record keeping, CSA overview, & corrective actions)
  • Playspace Management (liability and insurance, due diligence, contractual obligations, risk management, owner/operator responsibilities, employee/manager responsibilities, & playvalue and practical choices)

Required Materials: CSA Z614-20: Children's Playspaces and Equipment (purchase it from the CSA Shop)

This course is worth 2.5 credits towards your Parks Practitioner Designation.

Want to host this session? 
For this session we require a classroom that can accommodate at least 30 people and has a projector, screen, white board or flip chart available. The host facility needs to be within a short distance (preferably walking distance) to a playground that has climbing equipment, independent spring toy(s), a slide (j.r and s.r if possible) and swings for the demonstration portion of the training session.

Here's what people say about this course: 

  • "A lot of information, but a very good course"
  • "Very informative and covered all aspects
  • "Very impressive, the daily guest speakers are a perfect addition to the course"
  • "A really interesting course"
  • "Great job - thanks for all of the knowledge"

Upcoming events

    • 28 Oct 2024
    • 8:00 AM
    • 31 Oct 2024
    • 5:00 PM
    • Edithvale Community Centre, 131 Finch Ave W. M2N 2H8. Room – Art Studio
    • 4
    Register

    Event Details:

    Ontario Parks Association (OPA) has developed the Registered Playground Practitioner Program to meet the needs of those involved and responsible for the hands-on inspections and maintenance of public playspaces and playground facilities.

    PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES TO COURSE: 

    - Course length is now only 4 days in length! 

    - Exam to be taken online; to be completed by 4:00 p.m. November 7th, 2024.

    - Practitioner Registration for the course will now be valid for 4 years, and then mandatory update/refresher will be necessary.

    Safe Play - A High Priority

    Ontario Parks Association places a high priority and commitment on the provision of safe play structures in our public spaces. We want to help ensure that they are safe and accessible. OPA also emphasizes the strong need to educate caregivers, supervisors and others about the benefits of positive and safe play experiences for our children.

     

    What You Will Learn

    Attending this course will teach you about significantly lowering the risk of injuries in play areas by providing a safe outdoor learning experience for all. This course uses the CSA-Z614-20, Children's Playspaces and Equipment, as a base document for the three independent sections of the course. Ontario Parks Association instructors include experts from the industry including an architect, liability expert, lawyer, representative of the CSA Standards Association and others to give in-depth training on the following topics and includes an on-site demonstration at a local playground structure:


    Playspace Strategies Playspace Evaluation Playspace Management
    space requirements playvalue and hazard identification liability and insurance
    playability inspection and maintenance due diligence
    access/egress requirements surfacing evaluation contractual obligations
    playspace design record keeping risk management
    age appropriate issues CSA overview owner/operator responsibilities
    playspace materials corrective actions employee/manager responsibilities
    playspace construction   playvalue and practical choices


    Upon completion of the program and achievement of a passing grade in the written examination(s) the participant will be registered by Ontario Parks Association as a "Playground Practitioner" and is qualified to inspect playgrounds.

     

    OPA Registered Playground Practitioner Program is recognized as a playground safety course for inspectors by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.


    Attendees are required to purchase a copy of the NEW CSA Z614 - 20 Standard. The test at the end of the course is open book so attendees will need their own copy (sharing books is not permitted). Attendees can choose to either use the PDF version and bring it on their tablet or other electronic device (so long as they can turn off the use of internet / text messaging for the test as any use of outside sources is considered cheating and will not receive a passing grade) or the hard copy of the book. Books can be purchased at the CSA Online Shop.


    PLEASE NOTE: meals are not provided at this training session. Attendees will be required to bring their own lunch, coffee and snacks.

    This course will now require an update/refresher every 4 years after successful completion of the course. 

    Click here to read our Registration Policies


      DATE: October 28th-31st, 2024

      TIME: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

      LOCATION: Edithvale Community Centre, 131 Finch Ave W. M2N 2H8. Room – Art Studio


      COURSE COST

      OPA Member: $1,358.00

      OPA Potential Member: $1,605.00


      REGISTER HERE


      Register above online. An invoice will be sent to you within 24hrs of registering. Payment can be made online through the invoice you will receive or via cheque (made payable to Ontario Parks Association).

    For more information on hosting or attending, please send an email referencing the course title to training@ontarioparksassociation.ca
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