Every child has the experience of romping around on a playground. Many childhood joys are attributed to swing sets and winding slides. While the experience is fun, it can also be dangerous. It may be surprising to discover that more than 200,000 injuries occur each year on playgrounds (according to the Consumer Product Safety Council). In recent years, equipment manufacturers have made strides to incorporate safety elements into playground design. But there is something else that can be done to increase the level of safety around playgrounds - education. Curtis Stoddard, founder of the National Playground Contractors Association (NPCA), was injured as a child on a playground. Since that time, he desired to educate children the importance of playground safety awareness. Hence, the creation of Slyde the Playground Hound. Slyde?EUR??,,????'???s message is fun, energetic and heartfelt. The floppy-eared canine appeals to children, teachers and parents. Slyde?EUR??,,????'???s message is simple - playground safety. Through educational materials and personal appearances, Slyde the Playground Hound, is making his way across America in an effort to educate the public. According to program organizers, Slyde is loved by all. At a recent assembly in Idaho, the kids lined up to give the Playground Hound ?EUR??,,????'??high fives.?EUR??,,????'?? But that wasn?EUR??,,????'???t enough. One little girl asked for a hug, and of course, Slyde obliged. Ultimately, more than 100 kids hugged the loveable pooch. ?EUR??,,????'??Without a doubt, the greatest part of my job here is the reaction from the kids,?EUR??,,????'?? revealed Mitch Brian of Playground Hound, LLC. Brian oversees the marketing, public relations and sales implementation of the program. ?EUR??,,????'??They love what we do. And, having four children of my own, that is a great benefit.?EUR??,,????'?? After remaining in the concept phase for many years, Stoddard formed Playground Hound, LLC. The company has now been in operation for more than a year. Once Playground Hound was formed, Slyde was conceptualized by a former Disney artist. And, eventually, the artistic reigns were handed over to an in-house artist named Jake Amen. Immediately thereafter, Amen went to work on the storybooks and coloring books. Stoddard and his wife, Nicole, spent hundreds of hours developing the core curriculum for the program, eventually developing the Classroom Kit. The Miracle Recreation and Equipment Company later contacted Playground Hound and offered corporate sponsorship, as did surfacing supplier, Sof?EUR??,,????'??? Fall. Both companies promote and utilize the program to teach playground safety. Slyde educates in a variety of ways. One of the most prominent is a collection of educational tools - the Classroom Kit. The elements of the kit include a course manual teaching awareness and safety, stickers, pride patches, a poster, a coloring, a board game, a puzzle, a storybook, and safety guidelines. After its first year, the Classroom Kits have been utilized in Texas, California, New York, Missouri, Idaho, Vermont, Wyoming, Colorado and Delaware. Playground Hound, LLC. plans on the program?EUR??,,????'???s continued growth as it increases in popularity. In an interview with LASN, Brian said, ?EUR??,,????'??Our single biggest focus is to educate. We want to educate the public about our program. We want educators to teach playground safety on a regular basis.?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??Slyde is the perfect solution to this problem,?EUR??,,????'?? added Brian. ?EUR??,,????'??Our plans include new products like the Slyde Show, a traveling assembly program that takes Slyde from school to school throughout the United States and teaches playground safety in an assembly format.?EUR??,,????'?? Currently, Playground Hound, LLC., is in the process of seeking a bus sponsor and a show sponsor, to assist with customized transportation and funding, respectively. Also on the horizon, is a program aimed at teaching parents how to create a safe play environment in and around the home. So far, Brian would rate the program?EUR??,,????'???s success an eight on a scale of ten. ?EUR??,,????'??In our First Year, we have done a tremendous job of getting the word out and getting support from key industry people and organizations,?EUR??,,????'?? noted Brian. ?EUR??,,????'??I think the only reason I would not give us a ten, is that we still have room to grown and learn. As new projects always have room to grow, we plan to evolve with this program and become as influential or more than Smokey Bear. We want kids to know that it?EUR??,,????'???s important to play safe. We want to save kids lives and help them avoid injuries.?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??Our goal is to save kids from injury or death,?EUR??,,????'?? reiterated Brian. ?EUR??,,????'??We believe that many of these [injuries] can be avoided and we further believe that kids can take a greater role in protecting themselves on the playground. Our mission is moving right along and we have a huge amount of momentum. We have had many inquiries from large companies looking to sponsor the program and we have held back and been very cautious in an effort to keep the children first I the equation. Recently we have contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission and we are hoping to work something out with that organization to further promote playground safety throughout the world.?EUR??,,????'?? Although the program has been successful, it has not been without challenges. One of the primary challenges has been incorporating the program into the public education system - time and money being key issues. ?EUR??,,????'??Unless it is considered a high priority for these schools, it just is difficult for them to justify,?EUR??,,????'?? admits Brian. ?EUR??,,????'??We are tackling that issue with unique sponsorship programs.?EUR??,,????'?? Examples can be seen with the corporate sponsorships, which allows for the program to be included ?EUR??,,????'??free of charge?EUR??,,????'?? when certain products are purchased for playgrounds. Hospitals and business have also aided in sponsoring the program for local area schools. Another challenge, reveals Brian, is dealing with the number of companies that want to get involved with the program. ?EUR??,,????'??We don?EUR??,,????'???t want to become just another marketing gimmick for a company. We will always keep the program about the kids and nothing will get in our way of getting this program in the hands of those people who can teach our children these critical lessons about playground safety.?EUR??,,????'?? While manufacturers continue to build safer playgrounds, there are still injuries. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) notes that from January 1990 to August 2000, there were reports of 147 deaths of children under the age of 15 that involved playground equipment. In 1999, the CPSC reports that an estimated 205,000 playground equipment-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. Of those, approximately 156,040 (75.8 percent) of the injuries occurred on equipment designed for public use, 46,930 (22.8 percent) occurred on equipment designed for home use, and 2,880 (1.4 percent) occurred on homemade equipment (primarily rope swings). On an average, over 200,000 people are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with playground equipment.