Child safety fencing for day care centers is a state requirement in North Carolina. These regulations are designed to keep children safe while playing outdoors, confining them to the designated play area and preventing outside dangers from getting to them, such as stray animals.
Keeping children safe is the concern of every parent, and therefore the top priority of any business caring for children. It is important to allow children to explore their environment, while reducing or eliminating risk where possible. That is where child safety fencing comes in, limiting children to a play area that is consistently maintained for safety. It also prevents children from wandering off out of supervision and keeps out unwanted intrusions such as stray animals.
While not all stray animals are aggressive, it is best to be safe. Stray animals can be carriers for illness. Dogs are not the only concern. Even in urban areas raccoons and other native rodents can be found roaming, scavenging for food. Fencing designed to keep children safe within, also keeps them safe by erecting a barrier that keeps these potential dangers out.
The state guidelines for safety fencing mandate that it must be a minimum of four feet tall and that the top of the fence must not have any protrusions. In other words, the top of the fence perimeter must be smooth without any potential to cause lacerations or punctures should any skin come into contact with it. However, if the fencing is six feet high or more this protrusion free top is not required.
Fences designed for day care center outdoor play areas must also exclude fixed bodies of water such as ditches, quarries, canals, excavations, and fish ponds. Similarly, any swimming pools must be properly fenced to prevent accidental access.
This may seem to limit the type of fencing that can be used around play areas. Typically, chain link fencing is used due to the ease of which it can be customized to meet the height standards, and its relative cost. There are also color coated varieties available for complementary appearance as well as added protection from weathering. However, there is no stipulation in the Safety Requirements for Day Care Centers (Section .0600) that excludes other types of fencing.
Wood fencing such as stockade or privacy fencing can be designed to meet state guidelines, as can vinyl fencing and aluminum fencing. All can be customized for height and can be made without protrusions along the top of the fence. Some aluminum fences are available with pickets close enough together to prevent little ones from slipping through, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing alternative to chain link fencing.
The other main concern in regards to safety fencing is that all gates should remain securely closed while children are at play. For this reason self-latching gates are invaluable so there is little risk of accidentally leaving them open.
For your child safety fencing needs contact Diversified Fence Builders, Inc. or call us at (336) 510-5561. We provide fence building services for commercial and residential clients in the Greensboro, High Point, Winston Salem and Burlington regions of the Piedmont Triad, as well as the surrounding North Carolina areas.
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