Evaluation of accessibility of kindergarten playgrounds and outdoor green areas in Polish cities

Abstract

Sport activities and a green environment to spend time in are vitally important for children’s health and well-being. In this study, we focused on 353 kindergartens in towns located in eastern Poland (Białystok, Lublin, and Rzeszów). Only 41% of the kindergartens were located in buildings designed for them. Twenty-five percent of the buildings had large, well-organized recreation grounds on their plots that guarantee proper activities for children among greenery. The situation was much better in the case of public buildings constructed in the 1960s–1970s than in new private ones, mostly located in buildings adopted for kindergartens or on the ground floors of apartment buildings, or ex-single-family houses. Nearly one-third of the kindergartens had no playground and greenery. The results of analysis show that it is necessary to develop a national strategy for planning new kindergartens with green playgrounds, as well as to provide more comprehensive greening subsidy schemes in case of existing education facilities.