Whereas, The safety and well being of children is a priority of the State of Michigan; and,

Whereas, More than 200,000 children are injured on playgrounds in the United States each year, equating to one playground-related emergency room visit every two-and-one-half minutes on average; and,

Whereas, The National Program for Playground Safety has been created at the University of Northern Iowa to help inform the nation about playground injuries and possible ways to reduce the number of injuries; and,

Whereas, The National Program for Playground Safety has identified key areas including proper supervision, age appropriate equipment, use of materials to soften falls to the surface, and equipment maintenance which provide substantial assistance in reducing the number of playground injuries and keeping our children safe; and,

Whereas, Spring is often a time that children head to the playground and a large percentage of playground injuries occur from April through June; and,

Whereas, Schools, parks, and other public facilities are preparing for the summer season to ensure that no child will play on an unsafe playground; and now therefore be it,

Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of the State of Michigan, do hereby proclaim the week of April 24, 2006, as Playground Safety Week in Michigan.