Head Start Information and Publication Center: Facilities Management Tool Kit

The listing of the following resources should not be construed as being all inclusive. Nor, should the listing be interpreted to imply any Government endorsement or favoring of any organization, personnel, products, services, or activities of the private sector.

Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations, Part 1304.53 - Facilities, Materials, and Equipment
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-10644.htm
The full extent of the physical environment of Head Start facilities is addressed. In addition to the center's physical structure, interior furnishings and safety inspections are also covered as are outdoor playground areas and equipment. 1304.53 also deals with the maintenance and usability of toileting and toilet training equipment. In addition, there are requirements concerning the appropriateness and safety of toys and supplies.

Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations, Part 1306.30(c) - Provision of Comprehensive Child Development Services.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1306.htm
Center-based programs, and programs implementing the combination program option, are instructed that they must adhere to state and local licensing regulations, unless these regulations are less stringent than the Performance Standards. If they are less stringent, then programs must adhere to the facilities management portions of the Performance Standards.

Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations, Part 1309 - Head Start Facilities Purchase, Major Renovation And Construction.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1309.htm
Part 1309 was revised in 2003. It provides procedures for grantees that wish to use grant funds in order to purchase, renovate and/or construct facilities and modular units. Regulations cover the application process and the protection of the federal interest in the acquisition of property. Document management and cost comparison analysis regulations, are included as well.

ACYF-PI-HS-98-01 Head Start Funding Increase for Fiscal Year 1998
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/im98/pi98_01.htm
Under the heading "other quality improvements," Head Start grantees and delegates are advised to consider using quality improvement funds to acquire equipment, or to enhance or acquire facilities.

ACYF-PI-HS-99-01 New Funds for Quality Improvement and Training and Technical Assistance
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/im99/pi99_01.htm
Head Start programs are notified in this Information Memorandum that the 1998 Head Start Act prohibits grantees and delegates from using grant monies to renovate facilities or install equipment.

ACYF-IM-HS-99-01 Final Rule on Purchase of Head Start Facilities and Proposed Rule for Construction and Renovation of Head Start Facilities
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/im99/im99_01.htm
Head Start programs are notified of two regulatory actions in this Information Memorandum: a final rule addressing the purchase of Head Start facilities and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the construction and renovation of Head Start facilities.

ACYF-IM-HSB-03-06 Final Rule on Purchase, Major Renovation and Construction of Head Start Centers
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/im03/im03_06.htm
The attached Final Rule was published in the Federal Register on May 1, 2003 and became effective June 2, 2003. It continues and formalizes the practices ACF has been following concerning center purchase, construction and renovation.

Head Start Bureau. Head Start Center Design Guide. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, 2000.
http://www.headstartinfo.org/pdf/hscenterdesignguide.pdf
This design guide contains suggested criteria for planning, designing, and renovating Head Start centers. The objective of this guide is to promote development of centers that are safe, child-oriented, developmentally appropriate, beautiful, environmentally sensitive, and functional.

The National Head Start Facilities Assistance Desk
http://www.hsnrc.org/Facilities/Index.cfm
This comprehensive on-line resource covers a wide range of facility issues from planning and construction to finance and accounting. There are also resources devoted to the hiring of construction workers and the applicability of the Davis-Bacon Act.

National Health and Safety Performance Standards, Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs. Chapter 5: Facilities, Supplies, Equipment and Transportation
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/CFOC/XMLVersion/NewTOCwoSubs.xml
Developed jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association, these standards encompass all facets of out-of-home child care. Chapter 5 of the standards deals specifically with the layout, furnishings and equipment of interior space. Interior areas include sleep space, restrooms, laundry and kitchen areas. Outdoor areas, such as playgrounds and swimming pools, walkways, steps and stairs, are also covered in these standards.

Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards
http://www.access-board.gov/ufas/ufas-html/ufas.htm
Uniform standards for the design, construction and alteration of buildings so that physically handicapped persons will have ready access to and use of them in accordance with the Architectural Barriers Act, 42 U.S.C. 4151-4157 are enumerated. This document sets standards for facility accessibility by physically handicapped persons for federal and federally-funded facilities. These standards are to be applied during the design, construction, and alteration of buildings and facilities to the extent required by the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended.

Child Center Design Guide. U.S. General Services Administration, 1999.
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/content/pubs_content.jsp?contentOID=22989&contentType=1008
Promoting the development of centers that are child-oriented, developmentally appropriate, beautiful, environmentally sensitive and functional. The Federal Child Care Center Design Guide provides criteria for planning and designing child care centers in GSA-owned or controlled spaces. It is intended for use in developing future centers and expanding or renovating existing centers.

CPSC Staff Recommendations for Identifying and Controlling Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1996.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/lead/6006.html
This document reports U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff findings that indicate a potential lead paint poisoning hazard for young children (6 years and younger) from some public playground equipment. It also provides recommendations to owners/managers of public playgrounds for identifying and controlling the hazard to reduce the risk of childhood lead poisoning from playground equipment.

Durrett, Charles & Torelli, Louis. "Design Process for Children's Environments." 1997.
http://www.ehsnrc.org/InformationResources/ResourceArticles/ftdesign.htm
Eight steps in the child center design process are set forth in this unpublished paper. The authors suggest that there are several design elements that should be considered throughout the planning process. Among these design elements are classroom size, the relationship between indoor and outdoor space, the size of the class or group and the location of toileting facilities.

Gillman, Amy. The ABC's of Early Childhood Programs and Facility Development. Local Initiatives Support Corporation, 2001.
http://www.liscnet.org/resources/2000/04/development_253.shtml
Financing, facility space and design assessment, community demographics and needs assessment are among the issues that this guide urges prospective child care undertake when proposing to develop a child care program. There is also an overview of the various child care arrangements that exist, including Head Start.

Handbook for Playground Safety, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, n.d.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission developed its playground safety guidelines as a detailed working blueprint to help organizations maintain safe playgrounds. This handbook provides technical safety guidelines for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining public playgrounds. There is also a "Public Playground Safety Checklist" that parents and community groups can use to ensure that their playgrounds are safe.

Key Ingredients of Child Care Facility Development. Local Initiative Support Corporation, 2000.
http://www.liscnet.org/resources/2000/04/ingredients_251.shtml?Social+%26+Economic+Development
Relatively low public-sector subsidies present a barrier to the development of early childhood facilities. Local Initiatives Support Corporation has identified several factors that it believes are essential for the development of viable child care facilities. Among these factors are: careful site selection, adequate financing, a visible advocate for the project, and a vision of what the project will accomplish.

McGrady, David. Model Child Care Construction and Development Budgets. The Enterprise Foundation, 1999.
http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/model%20documents/1029.htm
This brief paper describes the differences between child care center development budgets and construction budgets. A sample of each type of budget is linked to the document.

Passages to Inclusion: Creating Systems of Care for All Children. 1997.
http://www.ehsnrc.org/InformationResources/ResourceArticles/rm_facilities.htm
Several issues that should be considered in the development of inclusive facility environments are highlighted in this paper including health, safety and accessibility. Stresses the importance of staff training and the involvement of parents in training resources. In addition, there are several recommendations for creating an inclusive facility environment.

Promoting Optimal Health in Child Care Settings. 1997.
http://www.ehsnrc.org/informationresources/resourcearticles/ftoptim.htm
Age-appropriate design, proper surfacing areas near play equipment, proper maintenance and proper supervision are four principles that form the basis for playground safety. The article includes an extensive playground safety checklist and a resource list for further information.

Questions and Answers: Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1996.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/lead/6007.html
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission posted responses to several questions regarding the risks associated with children's exposure to lead paint.

Safety Hazards in Child Care Settings. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1999.
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/ccstudy.html
In 1998, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff conducted a national study of potential dangers in 220 child care settings to identify how to help prevent injuries and ensure greater safety for children. CPSC staff eight product areas, including cribs, soft bedding, playground surfacing, playground surface maintenance, child safety gates, window blind cords, drawstrings on children's clothing, and recalled children's products. This report describes the results of the survey.

Sussman, Carl. Building for the Future: A Guide to Facilities Loan Funds for Community-Based Child and Family Services. The Finance Project, 2000.
http://www.financeproject.org/Publications/facility.htm
Many issues related to the financing of family or child care facilities are covered in this paper. The author recognizes the impact of facilities on children, staff and the overall quality of services, while focusing attention on the obstacles child care providers face in securing capital financing and the various types of loan products that are available.

Stoecklin, Vicki L. and Randy White. Designing Quality Child Care Facilities.
http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/designing1.shtml
Several factors that can contribute to poorly designed child care centers are highlighted in this article, such as architects and interior designers who do not understand child development issues and concepts. The authors stress the importance of a multidisciplinary approach that brings architects, designers and facility staff together at the inception of the project to create a conceptual design before anything is put down on paper.

Sussman, Carl. Housing-Leveraged Facilities Finance. Local Initiative Support Corporation, 1996, 2000.
http://www.liscnet.org/resources/2000/04/housingleveraged_249.shtml?Social+%26+Economic+Development
This article highlights the obstacles to successfully financing a child care facilities, such as high cost. However, the author suggests that there are potential advantages to locating child care facilities in low-income neighborhoods, such as economies of scale and being able to take advantage of the low-income financing sources.

Torelli, Louis. "Suggestions for Set-Up of Early Head Start Classrooms."
http://www.ehsnrc.org/InformationResources/ResourceArticles/ftsetup.htm
Appropriate access to outdoor play areas and the proper square footage of classrooms are among the suggestions set forth in this article. In addition, there are recommendations concerning the proper design of diapering and toileting areas, the importance of natural light and the proper use of cribs.

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: (202) 587-1000
Fax: (202) 628-4205
E-mail: fininfo@financeproject.org
Internet: http://www.financeproject.org/
The Finance Project strives to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of public and private sector financing for education family and children's services, as well as community building and development activities. It also publishes resources and conducts research projects regarding the finance and delivery of child care, early learning and school readiness, among other issues related to children, youth and families.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) National Children's Facilities Network and Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK)
733 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Telephone: (212) 455-9840
Fax: (212) 682-5929
E-mail: webmaster@liscnet.org
Internet: http://www.liscnet.org
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation provides grants, loans, and equity investments to community development corporations for neighborhood redevelopment. Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK) is a coalition of not-for-profit financial and technical assistance intermediaries involved in planning, developing, and financing facilities for low-income child care and Head Start programs. Members of the CICK network share information on child care facilities issues to develop and support various financing strategies, initiatives and programs. CICK members strive to increase the supply of child care by providing financing to address the needs for capital of child care providers, while they work to improve the quality of child care by providing technical assistance.

The National Program for Playground Safety
School for Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services, WRC 205, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0618
Telephone: (319) 273-2416; Toll-free: (800) 554-PLAY
Fax: (319) 273-7308
E-mail: playground-safety@uni.edu
Internet: http://www.uni.edu/playground/home.htm
Publications: Playground Safety News (newsletter)
The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) was established through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to act as a public resource for the latest in information on playground safety and injury prevention. NPPS conducts research in playground injury prevention and serves as a clearinghouse for playground injury prevention resources. In addition, NPPS produces injury prevention videos and sponsors National Playground Safety Week.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
Campus Mail Stop F541, PO Box 6508, Aurora, CO 80045-0508
Telephone: (800) 598-KIDS
Fax: (303) 724-0960
E-mail: Natl.child.res.ctr@uchsc.edu
Internet: http://nrc.uchsc.edu/
Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care provides information on health and safety standards in the child care field. Child care licensure regulations for all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands are accessible through the organization's website, as are on-line versions of several of their publications. Children with special needs, caring for ill children in out-of-home settings and risk reduction are among the topics that NRCHSCC publications address.

The Nonprofit Finance Fund
70 West 36th Street, Eleventh Floor, New York, NY 10018
Telephone: (212) 868-6710
Fax: (212) 268-8653
E-mail: info@nffusa.org
Internet: http://www.nonprofitfinancefund.org/
The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) provides financial services to nonprofit organizations nationwide. Expanding the availability of child care is one of NFF's main objectives. Among its activities, NFF makes loans available for new construction and improvement of nonprofit facilities. Funding is also available for equipment needs, bridge loans, and working capital loans.

Child Care Settings and the Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.thearc.org/faqs/ccqa1.html
This series of questions and answers provides an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) In addition to general questions about the ADA, there are several questions that pertain specifically to child care centers and family day care.

Commonly Asked Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/childq&a.htm
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice has developed answers to a series of questions specifically on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to child care centers. Questions cover day-to-day issues, such as the enrollment of children with disabilities and providers' legal obligation to make accommodations for children with disabilities. There is also contact information for resources where providers can turn for more information and assistance.

Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Home Page
http://www.dol.gov/esa/programs/dbra/index.htm
This Department of Labor offers a brief overview of the scope and provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act, as well as There are also schedules of wage surveys that are to be conducted, as well as surveys that are currently underway. On-line versions of Report of Construction Contractor's Wage Rates (WD-10), Payroll Submission Form (WH-347), Request For Wage Determination And Response To Request (SF-308) are accessible through this website, as well.

Head Start Playground Safety Checklist
http://www.wku.edu/Info/General/TTAS/fac/HTML/playground%20checklist.htm
The National Head Start Facilities Assistance Desk developed this checklist to ensure children's safety. The checklist addresses the design and layout of equipment and the surrounding area, as well as equipment maintenance.

How Asthma-Friendly is Your Child-Care Setting?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/child_ca.htm
This seven-item checklist is in a scorecard format that can be used by parents, teachers, and school nurses to help pinpoint specific areas that may cause problems for children with asthma. It is accompanied by an extensive list of organizations that can serve as useful resources to child-care staff to make asthma-friendly changes in the school. The checklist is available in English and Spanish.

Key Ingredients of Child Care Facility Development
http://www.liscnet.org/resources/2000/04/ingredients_251.shtml
Site selection, financing and organizational commitment are among the seven considerations that the Community Investment Collaborative for Kids has identified as critical to the successful development of a child care facility in a low-income neighborhood. Organizations can use the elements laid out in this document as a planning tool as they strive to develop a child care program.

Selecting a Child Care Facility With a Safe Playground
http://www.kidsource.com/safety/playground.safety.sb4.html
Parents are advised to take into account the safety of the playground when selecting a child care facility and to verify that the playground has been inspected. In addition to inspections performed by local government officials, child care facilities should have their playground area audited for the playground's layout, design and general hazards. More routine inspections should be conducted thereafter.

Starting a Child Care Center
http://www.nccic.org/poptopics/starting.html
This website, maintained by the National Child Care Information Center, highlights issues that prospective child care providers should explore before starting a child care program. Community needs, start-up and operational costs, facility design and staffing are among the topics that are highlighted. There is also contact information for organizations that can serve as informational resources. A summary of the status of the child care field in each state, including licensure requirements, is also accessible through this website.

Stepping Stones to Using Caring for Our Children
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STEPPING/index.htm
This resource is a compilation of 981 out-of-home child care standards covering building safety issues such as fire warning systems, bathrooms, toxic substances and environmental hazards. Other topics include facility licensing, emergency plans and procedures, bloodborne pathogens , and cleaning and sanitation practices.

Tribal Child Care Facilities: A Guide to Construction and Renovation
http://www.nccic.org/pubs/tribguid.html
Site selection, financing and conducting an environmental assessment are among the topics covered in this comprehensive technical guide to the construction or renovation of child care facilities. A glossary, a list of resources and several appendices are also included at the end of the document.

Please Note: Links on this site are verified monthly.
While links are evaluated before being included on this site, HSIPC is not responsible for the information presented on external sites.


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Facilities Management Toolkit