HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

2.3 Standards

Best practice suggests that Head Start center design should comply with:

• Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The design should accommodate children and adults with disabilities.
  
• The Historic Preservation Act. Modification of historic buildings or buildings considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places must follow specific guidelines. These structures include buildings:
  
  1. That are at least 50 years old, or will be when the renovation is completed.
     
  2. That are examples of a particular style.
     
  3. That have historic significance in terms of events to which the building is related.
     

The design and appearance of playgrounds near historic buildings have posed challenges.

• The Energy Policy Act of 1992. The center design should minimize energy use. It should use the life-cycle costing methodology in estimating and comparing investment decisions involving capital and operating costs. Mechanical systems and introduction of features, such as overhangs to diminish energy use, are examples of such considerations.
  

Head Start centers must also comply with state, tribal, and local licensing and zoning regulations, and any other applicable standards, such as Consumer Product Safety Standards. When state, tribal, and local licensing standards are more stringent than other criteria, those standards shall govern.