U.S. General Services Administration Child Care Center Design Guide Public Buildings Service Office of Child Care PBS DIRECTIVE SUBJECT: Child Care Center Design Guide 1. Purpose. This directive transmits a revised version of the General Services Administration (GSA) publication, the Child Care Center Design Guide PBS-100, March 2003. 2. Cancellation. The former version of the Guide, PBS 140, dated June 1998, together with its previously published English measurement version. 3. Background. The transmitted document reflects updated guidance and standards based on GSA’s experience with design, construction and renovation of centers since the last publication of the Guide. In accordance with the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-418), which mandates the metric system as the preferred system of measurement in Federal procurement, Guide measurements are expressed in the metric system. 4. Instructions. Metric measurement should be used for all design initiated after January 1, 1994. F. Joseph Moravec Commissioner Public Buildings Service Attachment PBS-140 - July 2003 Table of Contents Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE Chapter 2: MISSION, GOALS, ADMINISTRATION, AND POLICY Chapter 3: ADULTS AND CHILDREN IN THE CENTER Chapter 4: NAEYC AND OTHER STANDARDS Chapter 5: PLANNING FOR SPACE AND LOCATION Chapter 6: SITE DESIGN Chapter 7: INTERIOR SPACE DESIGNS Chapter 8: FURNISHINGS AND EQUIPMENT Chapter 9: INTERIOR FINISHES Chapter 10: TECHNICAL CRITERIA Appendix A: METRIC/ENGLISH CONVERSIONS Appendix B: POISONOUS PLANTS Appendix C: CONTACT SHEET Appendix D: CHILD CARE FACILITY CHECKLIST Appendix E: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN: TERMS AND GOOD PRACTICES Appendix F: ACCESSIBILITY Appendix G: PLAYGROUND SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS PBS-140 - July 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The GSA Child Care Center Design Guide contains information obtained from the sources below. However, general concepts, theories, and empirical information obtained from those sources have not been specifically footnoted. The GSA appreciates the use of these valuable resources which provided a strong starting point for the GSA in its effort to establish national standards for child care facilities. The sources are listed alphabetically. Caring for Our Children, National Health and Safety Performance Stan- Custom Playgrounds, Esther Grossman, Play Yard Design, Brooklandville, dards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, Second Edi- MD tion. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Associa­ tion and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Re­ Designing Settings for Infants and Toddlers in Spaces for Children, Anita sources and Services Administration, Elk Grove Village, IL, 2002 Olds, PhD, Weinstein and David (eds), Plenum, 1987 An Outdoor Classroom, Steen B. Esbensen, High/Scope Press, Ypsilanti, Early Childhood Environment Scale, Thelma Harms and Richard M. MI, 1997 Clifford. Teachers College Press, New York and London, 1980 Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children’s Environments that Work, Jim Environmental Coordinator, Sandra J. Jones, General Services Administra­ Greenman. Exchange Press, Inc., Redmond, WA, 1998 tion, Atlanta, GA Child Care Design Guide, Anita Olds, PhD, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, Infant/Toddler Rating Scale, Thelma Harms, Richard M. Clifford, and Debby 2000 Cryer. Teachers College Press, New York and London, 1990 Child Care Design Institute, Harvard University, Bruce Brook, AIA and Anita Natural Logic, William Reed, AIA, Sustainable Design, Bethesda, MD Olds, PhD. Piaget’s Theory of Intellectual Development, Herbert Ginsberg and Sylvia Children’s Design Group, Mark D. Pavey, AIA, Children’s Accessibility Opper, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1988 Design, Montgomery, AL Planning and Design of Children’s Outdoor Play Environments, U.S. De­ City Design Collaborative, Inc., Anita Olds, PhD. Architectural Prototype partment of the Army, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC Document, “Study for the Design of Day Care Centers in State Facilities,” and National Technical Information Service, Technical Manual TM 5803, Boston, MA, 1987 New York, NY, 1982 Constructivist Early Education: Overview and Comparison with Other Pro- Play and Playscapes, Joe L. Frost. Delmar Publishers, Inc., Albany, NY, grams, R. DeVries, and L. Kohlberg, National Association for the Educa­ 1992 tion of Young Children, Washington, DC, 1987 Play for all Guidelines, Susan M. Goltsman, Daniel S. Iacofano, and Robin C. Moore. MIG Communications, Berkeley, CA, 1987 PBS-140 - July 2003 AK-1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Playgrounds for Young Children: National Survey and Perspectives, Sue C. Worthham and Joe L. Frost, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, Reston, VA, 1990 “Psychological and Physiological Harmony in Child Care Center Design”, A.R. Olds, PhD, Special Issue of Children’s Environments Quarterly, Win­ ter 1989, Vol. 6, No. 4 Quality in Child Care. What Does the Research Tell Us? D.A. Phillips, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC, 1987 Raising Children Toxic Free, Herbert Needleman and Philip Landrigan, Avon Press, New York, NY, 1995 Recommendations for Accessibility Standards for Children’s Environments, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, M.G.B. Long, and R.L. Mace. Barrier Free Environments, Raleigh, NC, 1992 Recommendations for Child Care Centers (rev. ed.), G.T. Moore, C.G. Lane, A.B. Hill, U. Cohen, and T. McGinty. University of Wisconsin, Mil­ waukee Center for Architecture and Urban Planning Research, Milwau­ kee, WI, 1989 Report and Model Law of Public Play Equipment and Areas, M.L. Morrison and M.E. Fish, Consumer Federation of America, Washington, DC, 1992 The Case for Mixed Age Grouping in Early Education, L.G. Katz, D. Evangelou, and J.A. Hartman, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC, 1990 What is Quality Child Care? B.M. Caldwell and A.G. Hilliard, III, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC, 1985 AK-2 PBS-140 - July 2003 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE 1 1.1 Purpose 1-1 1.2 Users 1-1 1.3 Applicable Documents 1-2 1.4 Organization 1-2 1.5 Glossary of Terms 1-3 PBS-140 - July 2003 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE GUIDE The Guide provides a discussion of issues that affect design. It sets the CHAPTER 1: benchmark. If stakeholders believe that certain features cannot be met at a specific center location, these concerns should be addressed to the Office INTRODUCTION TO of Child Care through the Regional Child Care Coordinator (RCCC). 1.2 Users THE GUIDE The Guide is intended to be a source of basic architectural information for all individuals involved in the design of Federal child care centers. Individuals This chapter describes the purpose of the Guide, its organiza- seeking detailed information on child care practices, center operations, or tion, the intended audience, how the information should be general Federal building standards should refer to other documents. Spe­ applied, and other documents that must be referenced. It cific users of the Guide include: also contains a glossary of terms used throughout the Guide. Architects and Engineers (A/E’s) who will provide design services under the direction of the GSA. In addition, these individuals must use the Guide for pre-design planning or to assess the extent of improvements required 1.1 Purpose in an existing center in order to achieve the standard established herein. The GSA Federal Child Care Center Design Guide (hereinafter referred to as the Guide) contains criteria for planning and designing child care cen­ GSA Public Buildings Service in preparation of Prospectus Development ters in GSA-owned or controlled spaces. It is intended for use in develop­ Studies (PDS), planning and program preparation. The Guide outlines the ing future centers and expanding or renovating existing ones. Further­ special GSA child care center requirements which exceed base building more, it aims not only to specify design criteria but also to explain the alterations and services for office space. rationale for the criteria in order to enhance professional judgment. The criteria contained in the Guide establish the baseline levels of features and GSA Regional Child Care Coordinators to interpret the level and type of finishes to be provided in all GSA centers. The Guide also identifies de­ features and finishes to be provided in centers. sired or allowable design features. GSA Property Managers to maintain all centers and improve existing ones The objective of the Guide is to promote centers that are child-oriented, to meet the benchmarks set in the Guide. In addition, the GSA managers developmentally appropriate, beautiful, environmentally sensitive, health will use it for guidance in repair and replacement of existing conditions and promoting and functional. The designer needs to be aware that a child equipment. may be in a center up to 12,500 hours if he or she starts as an infant and continues until entering school.1 Because children spend such long hours GSA Real Estate Specialists when developing Requests for Proposals at the center, the design of their spaces is especially critical. (RFP) and Solicitation for Offers (SFO) for the procurement of child care center space. The design effort must allow for, and be sensitive to, the differences in space attributes for children and those for adults as well as the differences Federal Agencies planning to contract with private sector architectural