HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

This chapter provides concepts and criteria for the design of the interior spaces in a center used in the care of children. Spaces include entry and circulation, staff, classroom, common, and service spaces.

Head Start centers vary in size and the number of people using the centers. Interior design should reflect the needs of specific centers.

7.1 General Information

Spaces within a center can be separated into three major types: a) the classroom and common use areas used by children; b) the staff areas used by teachers, coordinators, and parents; and c) the service areas used by people servicing the center. The entry to the center and main circulation pathways may unify these areas. Following are descriptions for each space type. See Chapter 9 for finish recommendations.

7.1.1 Entry and Circulation

The entry may include the transition space, vestibule, and reception area where parents, teachers, children, and visitors enter. The main circulation provides pathways between functional spaces.

7.1.2 Staff Areas

Staff areas may include the director's office, other staff offices, assistant or secretary's work space, staff offices, a lounge and work area, staff toilet, parent/teacher conference area, a parent's room, a central resource storage, and a family resource room.

7.1.3 Classrooms

Classrooms for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children should be designed specifically for the group(s) that will use them. Best practice indicates that they should have a variety of spaces to support children's care and developmentally appropriate activities. Architecturally defined spaces within classrooms may include the entrance, cubby storage, classroom and teacher storage, diapering station and storage, toileting and hand washing, sleeping, nursing, and food preparation. The classroom may have an art sink, raised areas, and loft areas, and open, architecturally unrestricted areas.

7.1.4 Common Areas

The center may have additional space, typically in centrally located areas, for use by children, teachers, and parents. This is desirable because one beneficial aspect of a Head Start center is the strong sense of community among those who use it.

The center may also include a multipurpose space. This space may be used as a meeting or gathering area and as a large-muscle-activity area. Best practice indicates that if adequate outdoor play yard space is not available, or if the climate is not conducive to outdoor play during significant portions of the year, an indoor large-muscle-activity area should be provided.

An isolation sick bay, where a child can wait until taken home by a parent, is best associated with the center director's office, or another staff office to provide uninterrupted supervision. A separate area may frighten the child and should be avoided unless mandated by local licensing requirements. See chapter 10 for ventilation requirements.

7.1.5 Service Spaces

The center requires space for food, laundry, janitorial, and other services, plus a service dock or entrance.

7.1.6 Entrance and Circulation

These spaces should allow for safe and convenient arrival and departure. The character of the main entry is important for establishing a friendly impression for the children and creating a non-threatening transition from the parent's care to that of the center.

GSA advises that certain features will help to promote this impression:

1. Glazing the entrance door with safety glass, affording full visibility for children and adults.
2. Allowing children to see other children in classrooms from the entry to reduce anxiety.
3. Constructing a reception desk that allows children to see the adult behind it. (GSA advises that the need for a reception desk should be questioned during design concept development, as this feature in existing centers is often underutilized.) The main entrance should be close to an adult toilet room to facilitate use by parents.

Other points of entry for the facility include service entry access to the play yards and the classrooms. The main entry should include an exterior transition area, where a covered bench for good-byes, "shoe-tying," and other child/parent interactions can occur comfortably. The entry should also include a vestibule for energy conservation, conforming to ADA dimension requirements, and a reception area. Secondary entries should have transition areas but do not require thermal vestibules. Porches or mudrooms, depending on climatic conditions, can serve this purpose in individual geographic locations. In spaces that are difficult to monitor, fire egress doors should be alarmed.

7.1.7 Exterior Transition Spaces

GSA suggests that all exterior entries used by children have transition spaces consisting of a bench and a covered area of not less than 22.5 square feet. The term covered means with a roof, canopy, or trellis. Transition spaces are important in creating a comfortable environment and integrating the exterior and the interior. These spaces allow children to adjust to the changes between interior and exterior light levels and temperatures. The transition spaces also may serve as mudrooms or may provide an intimate area for children outdoors.

Overhanging elements extending from the building, such as porches, verandahs, canopies, or arcades, can create successful transition spaces and can be used for program areas in some climates.

7.1.8 Vestibule

It is wise to provide views of the short-term-parking area from the entry vestibule, and to design windows with low sills so children can look out of and into the center. This vestibule should have two sets of doors to provide energy conservation, and the doors should permit use by those in wheelchairs, as required by the ADA.

The entrance should offer emergency egress hardware at adult height and provide a flush-mounted walk-off mat to prevent water and soil from being tracked into the center. The entrance may need security devices for control. This equipment should be non-intrusive and have a non-threatening appearance. Refer to the security section in Chapter 10 for more information on suggestions for the security system.

In areas with snow and ice, a generous roof overhang or canopy will diminish the risk of falls. With a minimum overhang at the exit door, it will open for fire purposes, even during periods of heavy snow and ice.

7.1.9 Reception

A reception area should be included immediately inside the entry. It hould be warm, bright, and welcoming, and as comfortable as possible. The reception area connects the entrance to the main circulation pathways of the center, and parents escort children to the classroom from this location.

A reception desk at desk height may be provided in large centers. If so provided, it may be designed to serve several functions. For instance, it may incorporate sign-in facilities or parent/teacher mailboxes, or both. A counter, which is typically simpler and less expensive than a reception desk, may also serve these functions. If space permits, a small table or desk could be appropriate. In all events, a child should be able to see the adult behind the desk. Furnishings in the reception area may include a sofa, chair, end table, and coffee table.

The design team should select durable finishes that have an informal, comfortable appearance and establish a warm, inviting feeling through use of color, soft seating, plants, and art work. Recommended finishes include a carpeted floor and a washable and durable wall finish. Cut-pile carpet has proven less durable than looped pile. Navaho or Oriental-style patterned rugs may be associated with a home environment. Like all rugs in the center, these rugs should have non-slip backing.

7.1.10 Main Circulation

There are two types of circulation paths in a center: the main circulation path connecting the various classrooms and major spaces of the center, and the internal circulation paths within those spaces. Circulation within classrooms will be discussed in the classroom section of this chapter.

The main circulation path serves as a community space as well as a pathway. The circulation space should not be utilitarian in character. Instead, it should be conceived as a street or a gallery with stopping and cueing areas along the way. There should be opportunities for important social interaction along the circulation path. It is a space to meet other children and parents, a vantage point to see into classrooms, an exhibition space for the work of children, or for art prints and quotations to inspire and educate adults.

The designer should strive to limit the floor space devoted to pure building circulation. GSA recommends that, if possible, the designer should try to avoid the institutional appearance typically created by long, undeviating, double-loaded corridors with doors to rooms on both sides.

When it is not feasible to vary the layout of the circulation corridor, GSA advises that design strategies to downplay such an impression include:

• Lighting: The designer can introduce artificial lighting. For instance, instead of the dead-center placement of fluorescent lights in corridor ceilings, strategically placed wall washing lights can be added, or natural light can be provided through skylights. Putting a window, glazed door, or skylight at the end of a corridor is also advisable.
• Floor Pattern: The use of pattern can create a strong sense of place for children, and can be used by a skillful designer to diminish the impression of long, double-loaded corridors. For instance, large pattern repeats are often effective for de-emphasizing the tunnel appearance of double-loaded corridors. Likewise, patterns that are not symmetrically arranged or that emphasize functional areas, such as entrances to classrooms, are effective means to achieve the same end.
• Color: The designer should explore the use of color to visually alter the dimensions of otherwise institutional looking double-loaded corridors. Care should be taken to avoid an overstimulating color scheme.

Children gain a sense of orientation when they can see the entrance to their classrooms and recognize landmarks such as displays, common areas, and other design features. Teachers and children require clear views between the classroom and circulation areas at their respective viewing levels. Some centers use color and floor patterns to help guide children to their rooms.

The main circulation path should be designed to serve also as a primary means of emergency egress. Through judicious arrangement, the designer should strive to reduce the area devoted to a purely utilitarian circulation. No more than 30 percent of the Occupiable Floor Area (OFA) within a facility should be used for primary circulation and service areas, unless the center location is irregular. The Occupiable Floor Area (OFA) allowance includes circulation within the classroom.

Outside corners in the circulation pathways should be eliminated to the extent possible. Angled or curved corners can facilitate cart and stroller traffic and may decrease the possibility of injury.

Recommended finishes for major circulation paths include impervious surfaces at the floor and at wainscot height, paint above wainscot height, and safety glass in windows along the corridor.

7.1.11 Staff Spaces

Staff areas may include:

• The director's office and other staff offices
• The assistant or secretary's work space
• A parent/teacher conference area or resource center
• A staff lounge and work area
• A staff/parent toilet
• Central resource storage

The main circulation area should access the spaces used by the staff, particularly teachers.

7.1.12 Staff Offices

The director will usually perform deskwork and interviews in his or her office. During the day, the director may use this space to meet with parents, staff members, children, or other visitors, and to conduct parent interviews. Larger centers may have an assistant or secretary who works closely with and shares duties with the director, and space for this staff member should be located near the director's office. Other Head Start staff offices may include offices for family service workers, health workers, education coordinators, and others depending on the services a program offers.

Place staff offices in a quiet space. The director's office might be located next to the reception area and accessible to visitors. To supervise properly, that office must have excellent views of the main entry, the reception area, and as many classrooms as possible.

Staff offices should be comfortable, with carpeted floors and washable wall surfaces. They should have adequate lighting and acoustical separation of at least 45 STC from the children's active areas.

GSA advises that furnishings should include a desk and chair, two guest chairs, filing cabinets, a coat rack, shelving for books and resources, and lockable storage cabinets or a closet for personal belongings, and first aid items.

Staff offices require a telephone and may have security video monitors. There should be appropriate power to accommodate computers, printers, and a fax machine. A copier and video equipment also may be stored here, if not placed in a workroom or a resource storage area.

7.1.13 Parent/Policy Group/Teacher Rooms

Head Start requires that parents and policy groups participate in carrying through the Head Start program. Therefore, it is a good practice to have a room where parents and policy groups can gather, conduct meetings, and socialize. Parent/teacher conferences, parent and policy group gatherings, and meetings between staff members can be held in this room. This space should be in a quiet, private area.

The space should be comfortable and pleasant. Recommended furnishings include a conference table. Seating will depend on the size of the center and its associated staff and parents. The room should contain shelving for books, and a bulletin board. Lighting should be dimmable so video materials may be viewed.

7.1.14 Staff Lounge or Work Room

The staff may use this space not only as a retreat but also as a workroom. They eat, relax, and converse here, plan curriculum, and prepare classroom materials. Ideally, the lounge may contain an adult toilet. This space requires visual and acoustical separation from children's areas but should be easily accessible to the staff. Parent and policy group gatherings may also take place in this space if it is large enough.

The lounge should be comfortable, pleasant, and soothing. It should contain a counter with a microwave, a sink with running water, a refrigerator (either counter or full depending on the size of the center and the number of staff members), and cabinets. The flooring at the counter area should be impervious. All base cabinets should have childproof hardware. Recommended furnishings include tables and chairs, a small sofa, and storage, some of which have locks.

The workroom should have adequate space and power connections for telephone, computer, video equipment, and laminating and copy machines. The machines should be isolated acoustically, perhaps in an alcove, for better control of noise. There should also be space at the counter for other equipment, such as a butcher paper holder and an art waxer (a piece of equipment that allows children's art to be hung without tape or pins).

7.1.15 Staff Toilet

GSA recommends that a center should provide at least one adult toilet, although two, at opposite ends of the center may be necessary depending on the center and number of adults (see state or local requirements). Adult toilets in the center must meet all UFAS and ADA code and local licensing requirements. Toilets should be accessible from the reception area and staff lounge. Recommended finishes include impervious flooring, such as linoleum, and painted walls above an impervious wainscot.

One adult toilet should be in or near the infant and young toddler classroom areas. This will be discussed later in this chapter in the section on classrooms. Adult toilets should be provided with toilet seat cover dispensers.

7.1.16 Central Resource Storage

The director and teachers may use a centrally located resource room for bulk storage of curriculum materials and supplies and for storage of resource tapes, books, and audio/video equipment. This room should not be seen as a substitute for the small-scale storage necessary within the classroom. The base of securely anchored cabinets must be no lower than 4.5 ft. above the finished floor.

The storage area should have adequate lighting, open shelving, lockable, closed-door storage, and filing cabinets. If space permits, a work counter and a counter-height stool may be provided.