Researchers from the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute invite you to complete a survey about outdoor early childhood education programs across Canada. The aim of this survey is to learn whether the number and severity of injuries that occur in early childhood education programs differ between traditional and outdoor-focused early childhood education programs.

You are eligible to complete the survey if:

• You have experience working in early childhood education program(s)
• You can provide information regarding injury statistics at early childhood education program(s).

This survey is examining the number and severity of injuries in early childhood education programs and their distribution among children of different ages and genders. It will take about ten to fifteen minutes to complete.  They expect to invite 200 people to participate.

This study is being done because, despite the growing evidence on the developmental benefits of risky outdoor play, many parents, guardians, and educators are hesitant to support it among school-age children due to safety concerns. The researchers hope to find out whether injury rates significantly differ between traditional and outdoor-focused early childhood education programs.

Taking part in this study is voluntary.  You are free to withdraw from the study at any time and you may choose to stop participating in the study by ending the survey. However, once you have submitted the survey, we will be unable to withdraw your information because the survey is anonymous.

All information gathered from the surveys will be kept strictly confidential as the responses will be anonymous. Additional information on how the data from this survey will be used and stored is available on the first page of the survey.

Once the study is complete, the researchers will share a summary report on the Outdoor Play Canada website, which will be freely accessible for you to read.

The CHEO Research Ethics Board (REB) has reviewed and approved this study.

To participate in this study, please click here or copy paste the following link (https://forms.gle/J7BkiGir29rah8oA8) into your browser.

Please feel free to contact Yousif Al-Baldawi at yalba075@uottawa.ca, if you have any questions about the study. Your assistance with this survey is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration!