RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
FACILITIES STANDARDS

By developing a set of early childhood facilities standards for new construction and renovation, the subcommittee wished to accomplish two ends:

• Provide guidance to school districts and community providers in constructing or renovating preschool facilities that will ensure a quality learning environment; and
• Provide architects and facilities planners with maximum flexibility in meeting the educational needs of each district’s three and four year old children.

For both new construction and renovation, early childhood classrooms shall be no higher than the second floor of a building.

A physical environment impacts both the behavior and development of children and the adults working in that environment. Adequate physical space affects children’s level of involvement and the types of interactions between their teachers and their peers. Both indoor and outdoor space shall be safe, clean, attractive and spacious so that children are not crowded.

1. Classroom: A minimum of 50 square feet of usable space per child shall be provided that is free and open and excludes storage and major pieces of equipment and built-in furnishings.
"Usable" space includes materials and pieces of equipment that are easily moveable.

2. Indoor Storage: There shall be varied and ample types of storage that meets the general classroom needs of both children and staff.

a. Children’s Storage: Each classroom should have open, accessible storage, such as cubbies for each child for coat storage, personal papers, and change of clothing.
b. Teacher Storage: Each classroom should have a space allocated for the teacher’s coat and personal items.
c. Classroom Storage: Additional storage should include an area, inaccessible to children, to store cots, bedding and storage of classroom materials such as manipulatives, puzzles and art supplies. Hanging mats are a reasonable option for some small storage spaces.
d. Ample storage must be planned for in order to avoid the use of non-storage areas, i.e., bathrooms, hallways, etc., for storage purposes.

3. Children’s Bathrooms: Bathrooms shall be safe, accessible and built to meet the needs of young children.

a. Each classroom should have an attached handicapped accessible bathroom which includes one toilet and one sink scaled for children ages three to five years old. For safety reasons, the use of wooden blocks as a step, is not recommended.
b. Classroom bathrooms should be open to view as a safety precaution.
c. A school policy should be developed to address whether or not Bathroom stalls will include doors.

4. Floors: Floors shall be clean and safe to minimize the potential for illnesses.

a. Hardwood, vinyl flooring or rubber floors should be installed for their resilience.
b. Carpeting should not be installed due to serious concerns for children’s health. Carpeting in school settings is frequently the breeding ground for mold growth and colonies of bacteria, both potential causes of asthma, etc.
c. Easily cleaned and/or washable area rugs are recommended. Matting and/or other methods of attachment should be under all area rugs to minimize rug movement and tripping hazards.

5. Lighting

a. Classroom lighting should be rich, adjustable and varied across the space with a mixture of both natural and artificial light.
b. Classrooms should have large, low child-safe windows allowing children and adults to view the outdoors and provide natural light.

6. Window Treatments: Easily cleaned or vacuumed window treatments, such as blinds or shades, should be used. Curtains should not be used in classrooms due to serious health concerns for children.

7. Wiring: Adequate wiring shall attempt to meet both current and future needs of the facility.

a. Electrical, voice and data receptacles should be installed for technology and communication.
b. Child safety receptacles will be utilized throughout the building.

8. Water: Separate from the bathroom, each classroom should have access to a separate sink at the appropriate height for a child.

1. Furniture should be arranged so that children can work individually, together in small groups, or in a large group with clear pathways to move from one area to another. The room should contain moveable pieces of furniture and/or equipment in order to maximize space flexibility.
2. Wall space should be available to display children’s work in the classroom and throughout the school/center.
3. Counters, and any built-in seating should be accessible to children, usually a foot lower than the ideal height for adults. Seating should be about 10-12 inches above the floor.
4. Open shelves, accessible to children, should be available for educational materials to encourage independence and learning.
5. Small, semi-private, easily supervised places should be available indoors and outdoors to provide children with opportunities for solitude.
6. Classroom environments should include soft elements, non-allergic items. Possible examples include area rugs and bean bag chairs.
7. Classrooms should be designed to modulate interior noise and minimize exterior noise.
8. Eating is a learning activity and children should eat their meals in their classroom or in smaller, quiet rooms, and not in a larger room, such as a cafeteria.

Sufficient space shall be made available for the following needs:

1. Office space for administrative purposes;
2. Multi-purpose room for conferences, parent, family support or community meetings;
3. Gross motor room for indoor play;
4. Kitchen or food preparation area, as is appropriate;
5. Faculty room/space for teacher preparation;
6. Small group instruction room(s);
7. Sick area, located near the office or reception area; and
8. Adult handicapped accessible bathroom.

E. ENTRANCE/EXITS AND SECURITY: Facilities designs shall be developed to ensure the safety of children and staff and to be flexible enough to meet the specific needs of the program.

1. Pickup and drop-off areas should be safely situated and sufficiently large to provide safe entrances and exits for children and adults;
2. Drop-off areas should be positioned with clearly marked walkways from drop-off areas into buildings;
3. Students should enter through a wide, bright, spacious and clearly defined entrance with easy access to classrooms;
4. All exiting doors should lock and a process should be implemented requiring all visitors to report to the office or electronic doors should be installed and controlled from the office, except when a staff member is on hand to greet parents and children;
5. All entrance and exit doors should be secured to prevent children from leaving the building and unauthorized individuals from entering the premises. All doors shall allow for emergency exits;
6. Exiting doors should have a push open lever rather than pull open lever or doorknobs;
7. All classrooms shall have operable windows that have non-hazardous inside locks;
8. A communication system must be installed in each classroom to allow for emergency calls;
9. Whenever possible, adequate parking should be available for staff, parents and visitors;
10. An early childhood facility that is not a stand-alone facility, should have a separate entrance, whenever practical.

F. OUTDOOR PLAY AREAS: Outdoor play is critical to a preschool curriculum. Facilities designs shall include adequate outdoor space, preferably contiguous, for large motor activities.

1. There should be 100 square feet per child of outdoor play space for each child using that space at one time.
2. Surface areas should include soil, sand, grass, hills, and a large, flat even surface for wheeled toys. There should be adequate padding (safety matting) under climbing toys.
3. Equipment should be developmentally appropriate, and should include equipment for sliding, climbing, crawling, balancing, running and imaginative play. Playground design should be barrier-free and sensitive to all disabilities.
4. Soil in play areas should be tested for lead and other contaminants annually.
5. All outdoor play areas should have convenient access to toilets and drinking water.
6. Storage for outdoor play equipment should be available and readily accessible to teachers.
7. Play areas should provide a mix of sun and shade with sheltered spaces for solitary, small group and quiet activities. If possible, there should be some access to water for play.

G. HEALTH: A safe and healthy environment is essential to all early childhood programs. Good quality early childhood programs act to prevent illness and accidents and are prepared to deal with emergencies.

1. Appropriate testing and remediation should be required regarding contaminants;
2. There should be facilities for changing children’s soiled clothes;
3. In order to enhance the health of young children, classroom designs should attempt to maximize indoor air quality attainable through a mixture of both natural and mechanical means.

Responses to a School Facilities Survey sent to a sampling of architects, school principals and community child care providers and distributed by the Facilities Subcommittee of the Early Care and Education Coalition.

Reviewed by Selim Iltus, child play environment specialist, City University of New York.

A Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs with Interpretations,@ National Association for the Education of Young Children, p. 19.

A Building Quality Child Care Facilities,@ Early Childhood Facilities Fund.

Nancy Allison, A Pre-K Possibilities,@ American School and University Magazine, August 1999.

Head Start Center Design Guide, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Head Start Bureau, April 2000/

The BOCA National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., 13^th Edition, 1996.

Quality Indicators for Preschool Facilities: Recommendations of the Early Care and Education Coalition, 2000.