Designing Your Building

Your child care facility design will require you to incorporate what you know about child care regulations with appropriate environments for young children. Child care facilities have specific design requirements that must be applied when you build or renovate. Remodeling your facility could be very costly if you overlook or ignore the basic design requirements. The following are basic child care center design guidelines.

Building Design

  • Consider the traffic patterns between classrooms and outdoor areas. Children should be able to move directly from the classroom to the outdoors.
  • Children's areas should be designed for ready supervision by adults.
  • Classrooms which provide meals throughout the day should have tables and chairs for all children and adults.
  • It is preferable that each room have windows.

Building Materials

  • Fire-resistant building materials are required for walls, counters, and doors.
  • Building materials selected should be highly durable and easy to maintain.
  • Dual flooring is recommended for classrooms.  Carpeting will absorb sound, and tile floor is appropriate for eating areas, art areas, and water sources, such as sinks.

Building Size

  • The number of square feet per child is determined by the state.  
  • Most regulations do not allow two-story buildings due to fire regulations.
  • Your center enrollment determines your income; therefore plan adequately for your classrooms.
  • Other support areas such as hallways, kitchens, storage, and bathrooms are not included in the square footage as required for children.
  • Consider creating a direct access to outdoor play areas from your classrooms.

ADA Accessibility

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act has established guidelines that impact facilities.
  • Your facility should be accessible to all individuals of all ability levels.
  • Guidelines apply to your facility its entrances and its parking

Facilities

  • Regulations call for specific requirements for children's bathrooms. There is a ratio for the number of children per toilet, and toilets are usually child-size.
  • Separate bathrooms for boys and girls may be required.
  • Child-size sinks adjacent to bathroom areas are highly desirable.
  • The water temperature for children's bathrooms is required to be regulated.
  • Children's bathrooms should be inside or beside each classroom.

Kitchen/Food Preparation Area

  • Food service should be located near the classrooms.
  • Your choice of on-site food preparation or catering will determined what equipment your center will require.
  • Be sure to check with the regulatory agencies for what is required for on-site food preparation, as there are additional requirements for centers offering this service.
  • The kitchen/food preparation area will require additional storage areas for food.

Staff Lounge and Work Areas

  • Staff need a place to relax, plan, and work along or together. Consider a room large enough to service these purposes.
  • The location of the staff lounge/work area should be between the administrative areas and classrooms.  

Parent Library/Resource Room

  • This area is an added value to your center and will be an excellent service to parents.
  • The Parent Library should be located near the entrance of your building for easy access to families.
  • The Library should be comfortable, with tables and chairs for adults, book shelves for library books, and activities for parents to use.
  • A child-size table and chairs also make this area inviting to families.

Classroom

  • Preschool children learn in active environments where they can work in learning centers and small groups.  35 sq. ft. is recommended per child in computing total footage for each classroom.
  • Child-size furniture and equipment should be of appropriate heights for each age group.
  • Each learning center should have at least two storage areas for storing materials.
  • If children eat meals in classrooms; consider table sizes that accommodate 6 to 8 children.
  • Natural light provides an inviting area and gives a nice atmosphere to classrooms.
  • Classrooms should have space for children to work in small groups, places for children to have time alone, and areas for children to meet as a large group.
  • Fire regulations may require two door exits; one is your entrance to the classroom, and the other may lead to the outdoor play area; check with your local fire department for requirements.