Injury statistics in outdoor compared to conventional early childhood education (ECE) programmes in Canada

The benefits of outdoor play are well-established, yet safety concerns can limit outdoor play opportunities in early childhood education (ECE) programmes. Whether injury risk is higher in outdoor versus conventional ECE settings is unknown. This study examined injury rates and patterns in both settings. A survey was administered to 150 conventional and 160 outdoor ECE programmes in Canada in January-February 2023. The survey captured programme size, location, injury frequency/severity, and activity. Differences in minor, moderate and severe injury rates between settings were examined. Thirty-nine (13 conventional and 26 outdoor) programmes reported 855 minor injuries, with 72% occurring outdoors. Conventional programmes had a higher relative rate of minor outdoor injuries per hour per child compared to outdoor programmes (p = .009). No differences were found in moderate or high-severity injury rates (p > .05). Running and climbing were the most common activities linked to injuries in both settings. Boys and girls had equal prevalence of low-severity injuries, whereas boys had higher prevalence of medium and high-severity injuries. Outdoor-focused programmes had lower minor injury rates, though larger samples are needed to confirm this finding. These findings provide a foundation for future studies on injury rates in outdoor ECEs in Canada and internationally.