Illnesses and Injuries at Nature Preschools

Abstract

This study investigated the incidence of illness and injury at nature preschools compared to conventional preschools. For 14 weeks, teachers at five nature and four conventional preschools logged the number of child absences due to illness and the number of injuries that occurred at preschool. This study found no difference in illness incidence by preschool type and no serious injuries during the course of the study. Girls at nature preschools had a higher incidence of minor injury compared to girls at conventional preschools. For boys, no significant differences in minor injuries by type of preschool were noted. Overall, the study found that nature preschools are a healthy and safe child care model.