The North Vancouver School District (NVSD) has not been including covered areas in recent school builds (Lynn Valley, Westview, Highlands) and they have been dismantling covered areas at some older schools. If the NVSD doesn’t write a policy that commits to including covered areas in all future builds, yet another school could be without; sending their students out on all those rainy days without any covered area options (for generations to come). We can’t leave it up to a handful of people on school steering committees to decide upon. It’s a necessity given our rain forest climate. The people who determined the criteria for the Ministry of Education Area Standards obviously agree as they created a guideline to include covered play areas in areas with extreme precipitation. Our predecessors obviously agreed as North Vancouver school buildings included covered areas in the past. Many people in North Vancouver agree; it’s a top concern for Highland’s parents and other N. Vancouver schools have sent letters and have made requests to the NVSD for covered areas.
It rains a lot inNorth Vancouver
Respect: We would not require adults to stand outside their workplace in the pouring rain or hot sun without providing adequate shelter options. While all children may not use a covered area at all times, they should respectfully be given options.
Health & Well-being: It is our belief that covered play areas at schools can contribute to children's health and well-being. When students are sent outside in the rain, the absence of covered area means that if they aren’t huddled against a wall (which stifles movement and exercise), they are getting wet (which can leave them damp or soaked and chilled for the remainder of the day). If students are given the option to stay inside on a rainy day, having a covered area would make it more appealing to go outside (and therefore more children would reap the benefits of fresh air, movement and exercise).
Keeping children indoors is not the solution; sitting in the library, sitting in their classrooms, being plunked in front of a video in their classroom are not solutions. Children should be encouraged to play outside for their health and fitness. Childhood over-weight and obesity rates in Canada have risen dramatically. They are nearing 30% for teenage boys and girls*. Outdoor activity must be encouraged. There are numerous health benefits of outdoor play.** Covered play areas encourage outdoor play!
Many feel that damp/cold/chilled children are more likely to get sick.*** At the very least, being cold and wet makes for unhappy and uncomfortable students.
It rains a lot in
BC is a rainy province; Vancouver North Vancouver Vancouver. See "Precipitation Stats" for more details.
Covered Play Areas can be funded within the school build budget. North Vancouver schools meet the BC Ministry of Education’s Area Standards for funding of a covered play area:
Students are required to go outside daily at recess and lunch; they should be provided with covered areas options out of respect, and out of consideration of how it impacts their health and well- being.
Covered Play Areas can be funded within the school build budget. North Vancouver schools meet the BC Ministry of Education’s Area Standards for funding of a covered play area:
Covered areas can be funded within a school build budget in North Vancouver. The BC Ministry of Education’s Area Standards (in effect since 2003)*, states that a “covered play area not exceeding 100 sq. m. (total roof area) may be added to an elementary school” in an area with “annual precipitation exceeding 2,000 mm.” According to Environment Canada, North Vancouver Capilano records annual average precipitation of 2,044 mm and North Vancouver Cleveland 2437 mm. See "Precipitation Stats" for more info.
*2.3.4 Covered Play Areas (page 10 & 11 of Area Standards Guide)
A covered play area not exceeding 100 m2 (total roof
area) may be added to an elementary school that meets the following criteria:
• A school will be eligible if it has a nominal
capacity less than 175.
• All elementary schools in a
district will be eligible if the district has one of the following conditions:
• annual precipitation exceeding
2000 mm
• more than 5000 degree days below 18oC per annum
• exceptional local conditions which create problems
best solved by a covered play area.
The climatic data shall be derived from an approved
official source such as the supplement to the National Building Code.
A covered play area may be paved and roofed, but not
more than two sides may
have walls or screens. Covered play areas shall not be counted within the gross
building area.
Note added Nov. 2014 in response to a concern raised: Covered areas will not cause a school to be to be classified as under-utilized as noted above in the 2.3.4 BC Ministry of Education, Area standard. Additionally, on page 7, the Area standard 2.2.3 explains that the gross area of occupancy of operating capacity does not include
elementary covered play areas:
“Excluded areas from
the calculations are as follows:
• industrial education
storage mezzanines
• crawl spaces or
service tunnels
• elementary covered
play areas
• industrial education
covered work areas.”
Note added Nov. 2014 in response to questions regarding North
Vancouver precipitation levels:
Annual precipitation stats have not changed significantly over the decades of
Environmental Canada measurements. We have been unable to find any credible
source that demonstrates North Vancouver’s annual precipitation during the past several decades to be below the
2000mm (the qualification measure for funding covered areas within school
builds/reno budgets). The Building Code references Environment Canada’s
precipitation data which has consistently reported North Vancouver’s annual precipitation
well over 2000mm.
“Not a priority” and “No money for” Covered Areas are not fair
answers. To say that covered areas
are “just not a priority right now” is a short-sighted answer to a long-term,
widely-impacting problem. There are no short term costs if the NVSD were to
publicly commit to including them in the future, so that could be done right
now. The costs of reinstating them for the schools that no longer have them
could be phased in over time and parents may be willing to have their PACs
contribute a reasonable/feasible amount towards solutions. We have even suggested less costly solutions such as retractable awnings or industrial tenting/shelters. Additionally, there should
be some responsibility on the North Vancouver School District’s part for the
decisions to remove them.
Students are required to go outside daily at recess and lunch; they should be provided with covered areas options out of respect, and out of consideration of how it impacts their health and well
The most important point is truly the impact that eliminating covered play areas has on the children. When the children all go out in the rain at recess, they are faced with the option of huddling close to the school wall (vying for space with 425+ others) or getting soaked. They are always outside for 20 minutes at recess (even if it’s down- pouring) and are often out at lunch time in the rain too. Sometimes, if it’s torrential down- pouring right before lunch, students are given the option to stay inside.
Respect: We would not require adults to stand outside their workplace in the pouring rain or hot sun without providing adequate shelter options. While all children may not use a covered area at all times, they should respectfully be given options.
Health & Well-being: It is our belief that covered play areas at schools can contribute to children's health and well-being. When students are sent outside in the rain, the absence of covered area means that if they aren’t huddled against a wall (which stifles movement and exercise), they are getting wet (which can leave them damp or soaked and chilled for the remainder of the day). If students are given the option to stay inside on a rainy day, having a covered area would make it more appealing to go outside (and therefore more children would reap the benefits of fresh air, movement and exercise).
Keeping children indoors is not the solution; sitting in the library, sitting in their classrooms, being plunked in front of a video in their classroom are not solutions. Children should be encouraged to play outside for their health and fitness. Childhood over-weight and obesity rates in Canada have risen dramatically. They are nearing 30% for teenage boys and girls*. Outdoor activity must be encouraged. There are numerous health benefits of outdoor play.** Covered play areas encourage outdoor play!
Many feel that damp/cold/chilled children are more likely to get sick.*** At the very least, being cold and wet makes for unhappy and uncomfortable students.
Providing shelter options for students who are required to go outside daily should be considered a necessity.
For anyone who is undecided about the need for covered areas, we would recommend they visitHighlands School - pouring day to access the situation. It’s an out- of- site, out- of- mind situation that becomes very real when you see the soaked children first hand! Providing covered area options simply makes sense; it’s just the right thing to do.
For anyone who is undecided about the need for covered areas, we would recommend they visit
The “concern over after- hours loitering” is not a fair or substantiated reason to eliminate covered areas for school children.
We simply cannot penalize school children in hopes of deterring after- hours loitering (which will always occur in the vacant, expansive, less- visible areas of school and parks). Children should be given suitable options to seek shelter from the rain.
We simply cannot penalize school children in hopes of deterring after
At the Jan 2012 NVSD Finance & Facilities meeting, the presenter from CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) conceded that it’s not covered areas that are the problem; it is actually the hidden, less visible areas that are. Montroyal’s Principal pointed out that it’s their uncovered courtyard area that has been their vandalism target (as it is quite hidden) whereas their very large covered area has hardly had any vandalism. Additionally, a NVSD presenter stated the fact that Cleveland Elementary (with two covered play areas) has had fewer problems than most schools; he attributed that to the fact that it has high community visibility.
We encourage the NVSD to pursue loitering deterrent methods, but just not at the expense of the students. Some suggestions include locating covered areas in high- visibility locations, increased lighting, real or fake cameras, retractable covers, and/or movable, locking chain- link fences around the less visible areas of the school and/or around covered areas.
For addition background information, please refer to "Highlands Story"
* Childhood overweight and obesity in British Columbiahttp://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/38thparl/session-2/health/reports/Rpt-Health-38-2-29Nov2006/Rpt-Health-38-2-29Nov2006-COOBC.htm
** Above info sourced from: Early Childhood News – Take it Outside
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=275
Study for the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute with ParticipACTION – Health Benefits of Outdoor play for children and youthhttp://www.cflri.ca/media/node/305/files/April_ResearchFile_EN.pdf
Benefits of Outdoor Play for Childrenhttp://charlinastewart.suite101.com/benefits-of-outdoor-play-for-children-a183901
CBC News – Outdoor Play could reduce kids nearsightednesshttp://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/10/24/health-myopia-children-outdoors.html
Benefits of Outdoor Play (Gov’t of Alberta)http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/899.htm
* Childhood overweight and obesity in British Columbiahttp://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/38thparl/session-2/health/reports/Rpt-Health-38-2-29Nov2006/Rpt-Health-38-2-29Nov2006-COOBC.htm
** Above info sourced from: Early Childhood News – Take it Outside
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=275
Study for the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute with ParticipACTION – Health Benefits of Outdoor play for children and youthhttp://www.cflri.ca/media/node/305/files/April_ResearchFile_EN.pdf
Benefits of Outdoor Play for Childrenhttp://charlinastewart.suite101.com/benefits-of-outdoor-play-for-children-a183901
CBC News – Outdoor Play could reduce kids nearsightednesshttp://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/10/24/health-myopia-children-outdoors.html
Benefits of Outdoor Play (Gov’t of Alberta)http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/899.htm
