Child development centers

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While their parents wo rk, seven o ut o f ten American children under the age o f six participate in so me fo rm o f care o utside the ho me. Because many o f them spend up to 12,50 0 ho urs in a child develo pment center—mo st o f their waking ho urs—the facility must be designed to pro vide safe, nurturing, and stimulating enviro nments essential fo r the healthy develo pment o f o ur children.

Within This Page Overview Building Attributes Relevant Codes and Standards Major Resources

Achieving Sustainable Site Design through Low Impact Development Practices Aesthetic Challenges Aesthetic Opportunities Assessment Tools for Accessibility Balancing Security/Safety and Sustainability Objectives

WBDG accepts the majo rity view that all child develo pment centers sho uld stress quality care, and child gro wth and develo pment. To this end, all child develo pment centers are enco uraged to pro vide wellilluminated, active and passive activity areas that acco mmo date a range o f play and o rganized learning as well as serve the needs o f adult staff and parents, and facilitate staff-child relatio nship building.

There are natio nally reco gnized accreditatio n agencies, such as the Natio n's Netwo rk o f Child Care Reso urce & Referral (NACCRRA) and the Natio nal Asso ciatio n fo r the Educatio n o f Yo ung Children (NAEYC), that identify requirements fo r quality child develo pment pro grams and facility co nditio ns, including safety, sanitatio n, natural daylight, and classro o m size.

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Child Development Centers

by WBDG Subcommittee Last updated: 07-21-2010

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Home > Design Guidance > Building Types > Educational Facilities > Child Development Centers

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Hallway with reading niche at child development center in Des Moines, Iowa. Architects: Wells, Kastner, Schipper

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D ESIG N D ISC IPLIN ES

BUILDING AT T RIBUT ES

PR O D UC T S & SYST EMS

While child develo pment centers can take many fo rms—they can be stand-alo ne o r part o f so me larger structure; they can be urban o r rural; they can be large o r small.

A. Types of Spaces Child Develo pment Centers will co ntain a variety o f space types depending o n the ho urs they are used, the age o f the children attending, the number o f children attending, and the setting fo r the center. Fundamental space types may include, but are no t limited to , the fo llo wing: Child-friendly classro o ms Meeting o r co mmunity space fo r children and adults Child-friendly and adult restro o ms Outdo o r and indo o r play areas Office space fo r staff Meeting space fo r adults Clinic Fo o d service space Sto rage space See also WBDG Child Care Space Type All child develo pment centers sho uld seek to :

B. Be Homelike Like a ho me, a quality child develo pment center is a place where children can: Relax and be themselves Have ample natural light in all spaces were children will spend time, especially the classro o ms Have a sense o f arrival and welco me upo n entering the center fo r bo th children and parents Use indirect lighting as main ambient lighting to avo id a "co mmercial" flavo r Feel and be safe and secure Find different places fo r different kinds o f learning Wo rk and play using different furnishings and varied lighting Avo id institutio nal, unnatural finishes and textures. Use natural finishes to the extent po ssible, emphasizing a "hand-made" appearance Have no sharp edges: ½" bull-no se o n all exterio r co rners at child-level gypsum and trim typical. Integral bull no se co rner beads are reco mmended.

Pro vide Co mfo rtable Enviro nments

C. Be Child- Siz ed Preferably, facilities designed fo r children sho uld have: PDFmyURL.com

Child-sized furniture appro priate to the specific age gro up served Ceiling heights sho uld be varied, lo w eno ugh fo r intimacy, and high eno ugh to avo id a mo no to no us spatial experience Windo ws at children's level Do o rs, sinks, to ilets, and water fo untains that are "child friendly" and mo unted at appro priate heights Functio nal / Operatio nal

D. Encourage Aut onomy Child develo pment centers sho uld be designed to allo w children to : Independently address bo dily needs such as hunger, thirst, using the to ilet, and sleep Set their o wn pace Cho o se activities and to ys Cho o se their o wn friends and co mpanio ns - o r be alo ne Be active o r still Create three-dimensio nal pro jects that are pro tected fro m destructio n by everyday traffic thro ugh classro o m space Pro mo te Health and Well-Being

E. Invit e Self - Expression Such facilities are characterized by: Restraint in co lo r and furnishings (e.g., neutral to nes fo r backgro unds and ceilings, with warm co lo rs fo r accents) Space fo r children's art, lo cated at the children's eye level to gether with a well-tho ught o ut and safe way o f hanging art and displaying three-dimensio nal pro jects Space fo r o bjects that children bring to share o r that have special meaning Changing displays mo re than permanent graphics

F. Provide Space, Indoor and Out door Physical Act ivit ies Child develo pment centers sho uld have playgro und and multi-purpo se play space fo r inclement weather. These areas sho uld allo w: Running Playing ball Climbing, swinging, sliding, and balancing Sto rage o f play items such as tricycles Access to nearby to ilets Co ntro lled access fo r maintenance

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Playground areas at a child development center in Honolulu, Hawaii allow children to interact with their peers and explore their surroundings. Landscape & Playground Designers: Moore Iacofano Goltsman (MIG)

G. Have Out door and Indoor Spaces f or Nat ure When po ssible, they sho uld co ntain places to : Dig in dirt o r sand Play with water Gro w seeds, flo wers, and vegetables Investigate animal life Co llect ro cks, leaves, o r o ther specimens Co ntain a variety and scale o f natural elements such as trees, flo wers, and shrubs Have quiet time, away fro m the "cro wd" while still being able to be supervised Places fo r large mo to r activities such as climbing and riding wheeled to ys Sto rage shed(s) fo r sto rage o f o utdo o r equipment Have a (typically) 6 '-0 " fence co mpletely surro unding the play area

H. Be St ruct ured, Yet Flexible This means that different spaces in a facility: Can be reco gnized by children Are fo r quiet and active play Can be rearranged by children fo r their o wn activities Co ntain adequate sto rage facilities to avo id a chao tic impressio n Plan fo r Flexibility

I. Include Appropriat e Space f or Parent s and Teachers This includes places to : Think and plan PDFmyURL.com

Meet and co mmunicate Ho st visito rs Sto re equipment Keep reco rd Co me to gether and celebrate as a co mmunity

J. Be Saf e, Secure, and Healt hy This includes pro visio ns and strategies to ensure that:

Staff can monitor and control

access to the child development Children are no t abused by adults in the center center from desks positioned at the Peo ple/perso nnel do no t have unco ntro lled access entry such as the one shown in the There are adequate washing facilities photo. World Bank, Washington, Finishes are easily cleaned DC. Attentio n is paid to go o d indo o r air quality as well as to the use o f daylighting, no n-to xic building materials and impro ved maintenance practices Equipment, furnishings, and finishes do no t co ntain asbesto s o r lead Ensure Occupant Safety and Health BACK TO TO P

RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS As the number o f child develo pment centers increases, mo re and mo re agencies, states, and municipalities are requiring that child develo pment centers within their jurisdictio ns meet minimum facility and o perating standards. Ho wever, in mo st states the facilities requirements are limited to relatively few and minimal health and safety issues such as the adequacy o f bathro o ms, egress, and lighting. The mo st co mprehensive facilities standards available at present, so metimes cited in state and municipal co des, are tho se pro mulgated by federal agencies. Amo ng the o rganizatio ns that have led the way to ward the definitio n o f co mprehensive child develo pment centers criteria are the U.S. General Services Administratio n, Department o f Health and Human Services, and the Department o f Defense.

Organiz at ions Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities (NCEF)—Spo nso red by the U.S. Department o f Educatio n and managed by the Natio nal Institute o f Building Sciences, NCEF is the wo rld's largest repo sito ry o f info rmatio n abo ut Pre-K to 12 scho o l planning, designing, funding, building, impro vement, and maintenance.

Execut ive Order Executive Order 13423, "Strengthening Federal Enviro nmental, Energy, and Transpo rtatio n Management", mandates buying pro ducts that reduce enviro nmental impact. The Enviro nmental Pro tectio n Agency's (EPA) Co mprehensive Pro curement Guidelines (CPG) lists designated pro ducts that federal agencies are required to purchase. Two specific pro duct catego ries apply to PDFmyURL.com

the develo pment o f play yards: Park and Recreatio n Equipment and Playgro und Surfacing.

Federal Government U.S. Access Bo ard—Pro vides info rmatio n o n site accessibility as well as building access to and within the center.

A Guide to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines fo r Play Areas ADA Accessibility Guidelines fo r Building Elements Designed fo r Children's Use U.S. Department o f Health and Human Services National Health & Safety Performance Standards, Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care, 2nd Edition Head Start Center Design Guide U.S. General Services Administratio n PBS-140 Child Care Center Design Guide Property Manager's Child Care Resource Book , 20 0 7 Department o f Veteran Affairs VA VHA Childcare Development Center

Depart ment of Def ense UFC 3-210-04 Children's Outdoor Play Area UFC 4-740-14 Design: Child Development Centers UFGS 11 68 13 Playground Equipment UFGS 32 18 16.13 Playground Protective Surfacing Department o f the Army TI 800-01 Appendix G—Design Criteria , 20 July 19 9 8 .

TM 5-663 Child Development Center Play Area Inspection and Maintenance Program Department o f the Army Child Develo pment Center (CDC) Standard Design Guide

Privat e Sect or ASTM F-355, Shock Absorbing Properties of Playing Surface Systems and Materials Co nsumer Pro duct Safety Co mmissio n Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth to Age Eight (PDF 325 KB) Handbook for Public Playground Safety Natio nal Asso ciatio n fo r the Educatio n o f Yo ung Children (NAEYC) BACK TO TO P

MAJOR RESOURCES PDFmyURL.com

WBDG Building / Space Types Yo uth Centers, Educatio nal Facilities, Child Care, Clinic / Health Unit , Co nference / Classro o m , Office Design Objectives Functio nal / Operatio nal , Pro ductive, Secure / Safe , Sustainable Project Management Building Co mmissio ning

Federal Agencies and Organiz at ions GSA Child Office o f Child Care —The primary missio n o f GSA's Child Care Operatio ns Center o f Expertise is to ensure that federal families receive high quality care fo r their yo ung children in child care centers lo cated in GSA managed space.

Natio nal Asso ciatio n fo r the Educatio n o f Yo ung Children —An advo cacy o rganizatio n fo r prescho o l care and educatio n Natio nal Child Care Asso ciatio n —A trade asso ciatio n fo r private, fo r-pro fit child-care facility o perato rs Natio nal Child Care Info rmatio n Center—A publicly funded reso urce that links info rmatio n and peo ple to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality co mprehensive child care services Natio nal Clearingho use fo r Educatio nal Facilities (NCEF) Natio n's Netwo rk o f Child Care Reso urce & Referral (NACCRRA)

Publicat ions Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards—Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs by American Public Health Asso ciatio n and American Academy o f Pediatrics. Washingto n, DC: American Public Health Asso ciatio n, and Elk Gro ve Village, IL: American Academy o f Pediatrics.

Child Care Design Guide by Anita Rui Olds. New Yo rk, NY: McGraw-Hill, 20 0 0 .

Determining Overall Space Needs in Campus Child Care Centers by Gary T. Mo o re. Campus Child Care News, Vo l. 11, No . 1, January 19 9 6 .

Head Start Facilities Manual by Raymo nd C. Co llins. Washingto n, DC: U.S. Department o f Health and Human Services, 19 9 3.

Infant/Toddler Rating Scale by Thelma Harms and Richard M. Cliffo rd. New Yo rk and Lo ndo n: Teachers Co llege Press, 19 9 0 . (reference mo st recent additio n) Places of the Soul: Architecture and Environmental Design as a Healing Art by Christo pher Day. San Francisco : Harper Co llins, 19 9 0 .

Play and Playscapes by Jo e Fro st. Albany, New Yo rk: Delmar Publicatio ns, Inc., 19 9 2.

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Recommendations for Child Care Centers (rev. ed.) by G.T. Mo o re, C.G. Lane, A.B. Hill, U. Co hen, and T. McGinty. Milwaukee: University o f Wisco nsin-Milwaukee, Center fo r Architecture and Urban Planning Research, 19 8 9 .

Training High Perfo rmance Scho o l Design—Online Training, spo nso red by the New Yo rk State Energy Research and Develo pment Autho rity

Point s of Cont act Dennis Talto n: U.S. Department o f the Navy, NAVFAC Criteria Office. Naval Facilities Engineering Co mmand, Attn: Engineering Inno vatio n and Criteria Office/Dennis Talto n, 1510 Gilbert Street, No rfo lk, VA 23511-26 9 9 . Pho ne: (757) 322-4211, Fax: (757) 322-4416 Kevin Kelly, AIA : U.S. General Services Administratio n (GSA) Child Care Operatio ns Center o f Expertise. 18 0 0 F Street, NW, Washingto n, DC 20 40 5. Pho ne: (20 2) 20 8 -76 56 BACK TO TO P

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