The Infant and Toddler Outdoor Play Space Assessment is designed to assist Head Start staff and early childhood educators in assessing the quality of outdoor play spaces for young children. This tool helps to identify the strengths and needs of an existing play space and serves as a basis for setting priorities and planning enhancements and improvements. Head Start directors, managers, and other educators may also use this tool to help plan and design a new play space. 

Infant and Toddler Outdoor Play Space Assessment is made up of eight categories that are used to rate an existing play space or to help design a new one. It is best completed during an outdoor walk-through. Criteria for each category are listed in the left-hand column. Score the play space using the rating scale in the center column and circle the number that best reflects its present state. Use the right-hand column to make additional comments, such as strengths, areas for improvement, high or low priority, and ideas. If you are using this tool to help plan a new play space, simply ignore the ratings scale column. Infant and Toddler Outdoor Play Space Assessment

Last Updated: June 18, 2018