HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

7.3 Scale

If the classroom is to be nurturing, the designer must appreciate the need for matching the scale to the size of the children. (Refer to Table 3.1, Physical Dimensions of Children.) It is important to adjust the perceived scale of the classroom. While areas of high ceilings may be desirable in spaces which the child perceives as too high to have a residential character (85 percent of the room over 11 ft. high), perceived height should be modulated.

For instance, consider using pendant lighting or ceiling fans hung no lower than 7.5 ft. above the occupied floor area below. Pendant task lighting over fixed elements may hang as low as 5.5 ft., as long as headroom is not required for passage. Fans can improve air flow and energy efficiency, and rotation can be reversed, depending upon the season. Aside from the obvious mechanical and lighting enhancements that these strategies provide, they also help tailor spaces to children's spatial perceptions. In addition, it is wise to provide the opportunity to hang banners and create trellis ceilings over activity areas, though it is important to ensure that they will not impede the function of the sprinkler system.

Window sills and counters used by children should be the appropriate height for the children using the space. However, it is important to leave 1.5 ft. beneath widow sills measured to the classroom finish floor, so that furniture and equipment can be placed easily along exterior walls. Storefront-style windows to the finished floor are not desirable.

Furnishings and equipment for children, such as toilets, hand washing sinks, and countertops, should be child-scaled. Countertop height and reach depth should allow children with the opportunities to use them unassisted.

Consideration should also be given to the adults using the space. Center design should be adult-friendly as well as child-friendly. As a result, not all elements should be reduced in scale. Door locks, light switches, and other functional elements should retain adult scale and be mounted at standard heights. Food preparation, storage, service, and other areas of the center used by adults should remain at standard scale. Furnishings for adults, such as sofas used for comforting and reading to infants and young children, should be adult scale. Some items may have a dual function, serving both children and adults.

In placing electrical/telecommunication or security equipment, it is important to ensure that cords and wires are placed where children cannot reach them. Their placement should not pose a strangulation threat.