IPEMA is a non-profit member organization that represents and promotes an open market for manufacturers of playground equipment and surfacing. IPEMA also, provides third-party product certification services for public play equipment and surfacing in the United States and Canada, ensuring compliance with ASTM and CSA trade standards.

The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) announces their support of the Encyclopedia of Play Science, by the National Institute for Play. This is the first resource of its kind and is a compilation of research on the benefits and effects of free play.

The Encyclopedia establishes the field of play science and is free and open to the public, providing valuable resources for those interested in the science behind the free play movement. Free play is the state in which children combine creative, imaginative and social play in an unstructured environment as in nature or at a local playground.

"We're extremely gratified to see this important project coming to fruition," said Randy Watermiller, IPEMA President. "Those of us in the playground industry know how critical play is to child development – we hope this resource will help us further reinforce to the general public how truly important it is to prioritize play."

The Encyclopedia is live on Scholarpedia, a wiki-based online encyclopedia housing peer-reviewed academic articles. It is the first-known database of scientific, academic research that demonstrates the scientifically proven benefits of play.

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