HEAD START CENTER DESIGN GUIDE

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families wishes to thank the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Child Care Center of Expertise, especially Eileen Stern and Kevin Kelly, for making their design guide available for adaptation by the Head Start Program.

GSA has constructed or renovated more than 110 child care centers located in federal buildings throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. These centers presently enroll 8,000 preschool children, infants, and toddlers.

Designing should be accomplished through the eyes of a child. Environments should be intriguing and should not inhibit a child's ability to imagine a series of alternate meanings to objects and features. The impression created by the design should be the antitheses of an institutional setting. The center should feel like home for a child. GSA Child Care Center Design Guide, June 1998

The Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Head Start Bureau
April 2000