HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

6.4 General Design Content

GSA offers the following guidance:

Areas within the play yards should be zoned by activity type, age group, and landscape character. Play areas for infants and toddlers should be physically separated from play areas for older children while retaining some visual tie.

Typically, fencing with no sharp edges should be used to separate the play areas. It should terminate 3.3 ft. above the ground and should be visually compatible with the perimeter fence or wall. The tops of fencing and spacing of pickets should not present a hazard to children or adults. Tops of fence pickets should terminate at a horizontal member to protect against puncturing hazards. Horizontal elements that can be used as ladders should not be included in the design of the fence. Walls adjacent to playgrounds should not be accessible for climbing. Otherwise, children may attempt to leave the center and could injure themselves in a fall.

6.4.1 Location

Activity areas within the play yard should be placed near an element that can be used as a point of reference by both children and teachers as they move throughout the different play areas. Entrance points, transition and staging areas, storage facilities, seating areas, overhead structures, trees, gathering areas, and larger play structures may all function as points of reference.

6.4.2 Separation

Specific play areas may be defined by circulation paths, barriers, screens, structures, play equipment, plantings, landscape forms, grade changes, and open buffer areas. Separation of one play area from another should be subtle, leaving some visual, audible, and physical connections intact.

Infant/toddler play yards must have a physical separation from preschoolers; for instance, a 3-ft. picket fence with rounded corners and no splinters would be an appropriate delineation.

6.4.3 Transitions

The link between interior and exterior spaces may be a transitional area, such as a deck or an open vestibule. Transitional areas allow for a blend of interior and exterior environments, and can function as a point of departure or staging area for playground excursions.

6.4.4 Porches

Porches are desirable elements, particularly in areas having weather that can be problematic for outdoor play, such as the Northwest due to its abundant rainfall, or the Great Lakes region due to its abundant snow. Porches easily lend themselves to nurturing activities and can be valuable for use on days when the weather will not permit full use of the playground.

In areas with moderate temperatures for much of the year, such as Southern California, porches can be used as activity areas for virtually the entire year. Porches are the architectural symbol par excellence of a nurturing environment and provide a transition to the natural elements which children often miss. They are also substantially less expensive than interior, conditioned space.

6.4.5 Shade

It is advisable to provide shaded areas in play yards, but to allow at least half of the play yard to be exposed to direct sunlight.

6.4.6 Circulation

Circulation within the play yard should allow movement throughout the various play areas. Dedicated pathways and routes should be provided for play with wheeled toys. The circulation pathway is the primary element that can tie the entire play yard together. Circulation pathways should be wide enough to accommodate movement of wheeled vehicles in both directions, or movement should be restricted to one direction.

The play yard should have a minimum of two access points, one from the classroom into the play yard and one from the play yard outside to the site. The access point from the play yard to the site beyond should allow the retrieval of play equipment and departure from the building in emergencies.

All access points should be controlled and readily visible for security purposes. The design of the playground should accommodate the movement of disabled children and adults through the play yard to the play events. The design also should accommodate the movement of maintenance equipment into the play yard.

6.4.7 Site Furniture

It is advisable to provide seating in a shaded area with views to other areas of the play yard. Children and teachers may sit and observe the activities of the play yard. Children may talk with each other or with their teachers in a relaxed fashion or perhaps have a story read to them. Tables and chairs, a bench, or a picnic table may be furnished, allowing children, and occasionally parents, to eat their lunch or snack, or to occupy themselves with drawing and other activities.

Easels for open-air painting are very desirable and help to soften the feeling of centers whose surroundings may not easily promote the impression of a natural environment. There should be adequate approach and fall zones for equipment and furniture, as prescribed by the current edition of Handbook for Public Playground Safety, issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (See Section 6.7.6).

6.4.8 Storage

Storage facilities should be easily discernible and have a unique, easily understood symbol indicating the purpose. Storage facilities provide an opportunity for children to learn organization and cooperation skills. Children acquire a sense of responsibility by learning to return toys and tools under the direction of the caregiver to the correct storage areas when they are finished playing.

There should be visibility into the storage area. Exterior storage should have locks that operate at the exterior of the door but can be released from inside.