For advocates, nonprofits & community programs
Build playspaces children can claim as their own.
Can every child choose, explore, belong, and play together here? COPA gives you a structured, research-informed way to find out - and the evidence to act on what you learn.
Research-informed · Expert-reviewed · Built for the field
The child's question
Can I really play here?
Every child who arrives at a playspace is asking this question. Not out loud - but through every choice they make, every barrier they encounter, and every moment they stay or walk away.
Can I choose?
Does the space offer real options - different activities, levels of challenge, and ways to play - so every child can find something that calls to them?
Can I explore?
Is there room to move independently, discover new things, and take manageable risks without being steered away or left out?
Do I belong here?
Can every child - regardless of ability, age, or background - participate fully, not just reach the edge of the space?
Can I retreat and return?
Are there spaces to pause, observe, and re-enter at a child's own pace - supporting children who need a moment before joining in?
Can we play together?
Does the environment invite cooperation, shared play, and social connection across the full range of children who use it?
Is there variety and invitation?
Does the space offer a range of elements - natural, manufactured, social, and sensory - so there is always something new to discover?
These are the questions that matter. COPA is built to answer them - systematically, in the field, with findings you can bring back to the people who shape these spaces.
Beyond accessible
Reaching the playground is not the same as playing in it.
A ramp to the gate is access. Whether a child can explore, choose, take part, and feel like they belong once they are inside - that is usability. And usability is what most assessments miss.
COPA assesses two things together: what a space has to offer (Play Value) and who can genuinely take part in it (Usability). Both are evaluated through four lenses that hold the space accountable to the full range of children who use it.
Provision
What is actually present? Are there enough elements, features, and opportunities to support meaningful play for everyone?
Variety
How diverse is the range of experiences, materials, and play types on offer - enough to invite children with different interests and needs?
Challenge
Does the space offer appropriate risk and stretch - opportunities for children to test themselves and grow in confidence?
Sociability
Does the environment support connection, cooperation, and play alongside others - across ages, abilities, and backgrounds?
2
Core constructs
Play Value and Usability - what a space offers, and who can truly take part.
4
Scoring lenses
Provision, Variety, Challenge, and Sociability applied across the whole playspace.
10
Playspace elements
From natural features and loose parts to seating, shade, and community context.
Meeting children where they play
The assessment happens in the space - not behind a desk.
Real understanding of a playspace requires being in it. The COPA field app takes you through a structured assessment on-site, keeping your focus on what children experience rather than what the plans say.
Walk the space with children in mind
The app guides you through each of the ten playspace elements - natural features, surfaces, loose parts, pathways, seating, and more - so nothing is overlooked.
Capture what you see, not just what you expect
Structured questions, open notes, and contextual prompts let you record the real experience: what is present, what is missing, and what children actually encounter.
Works wherever children play
Audits are stored on your device and work without a signal - in parks, schoolyards, and community spaces. Save, pause, and pick back up whenever you are ready.
From the field to the funding conversation
Turn what you saw into something decision-makers can act on.
A completed audit becomes a structured place report - organized by construct, scoring lens, and playspace element. Clear enough to share with a funder. Specific enough to hand to a designer. Consistent enough to compare across sites.
Evidence that holds up to scrutiny.
Whether you are making the case to a local authority, a community foundation, or a design team, COPA gives you structured findings - not a personal impression - that can be examined, questioned, and built on.
- Scores broken down by Play Value and Usability
- Results for each of the four scoring lenses
- Element-by-element findings across the whole space
- Export in the format your audience needs
Export in the format you need
The research
Built on the science of how children play.
COPA draws on affordance theory, inclusive play and usability research, and children's own perspectives on what makes a playspace work for them. The framework was developed through expert review and iterative field testing - not assembled from a checklist.
The scoring framework is designed for practitioners who bring professional knowledge and contextual judgement to the assessment. Formal psychometric validation is ongoing.
Developed with researchers Dr. Thomas Morgenthaler (lead) and Dr. Janet Loebach (collaborating). Expert-reviewed and grounded in inclusive design and children's play research.
Affordance theory
COPA assesses what opportunities a playspace actually affords different children - not just what the equipment is rated to do. What one child can use, another may not. The framework accounts for that.
Children's perspectives
The constructs reflect what children themselves say matters: the freedom to choose, the chance to take risks, the ability to join in, and the variety that keeps them coming back.
Inclusive play research
Usability is assessed across the full population of children who visit the space - including children with varying abilities - so gaps in access do not go unnoticed.
Iterative field testing
The instrument was refined through real fieldwork, not just desk review. The questions reflect what is actually possible to observe and record in a live playspace.
Get started
Every child deserves a playspace that works for them.
Start with a single audit. Understand what is really happening in the space. Build the case for something better.
Research-informed · Expert-reviewed by Dr. Thomas Morgenthaler and Dr. Janet Loebach · Field-tested in real playspaces