Chapter 8: Furnishings and Equipment

This chapter provides suggestions regarding furnishings and equipment for centers and includes references to applicable codes and regulations.

8.1 General Criteria

Following are the general criteria for center furnishings and equipment:

• Age appropriate.
  
• Sufficient quantity.
  
• Sufficient variety.
  
• Durable.
  
• Readily accessible.
  
• Child-scale for child use.
  
• Adult-scale for adult use.
  
• Safe.
  
• Easily cleaned.
  
• Adaptable, flexible, movable.
  
• Dual purpose, where appropriate.
  
• Stackable/hangable, if possible.
  
• Does not convey an institutional impression.
  
• Soft and comfortable, where appropriate.
  
• Optimizes the use of natural materials and contains minimal amounts of formaldehyde and other chemicals which may affect children, particularly those with allergies.
  
• Texture rich.
  
• Calm, soothing, coordinated color schemes.

Furnishings and equipment in the center shall meet all applicable codes and standards. Where synthetic materials are used, use products made with recycled content and avoid finishes with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) content to the extent possible. The following agencies and organizations have established criteria pertaining to play equipment for all age groups of children, and this criteria should be used as a reference:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission
  
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for Juvenile Products (1487-1-F 15.29, F1292-99, F1951-99, F2049-00, 36 CFR Part 1191)

Below is a reference list of ASTM requirements specific to a childcare center, including Head Start:

• Chairs with high sides or foam nests for infant feeding - ASTM F-404
  
• Cribs - ASTM F-966 and ASTM F-1169
  
• Carriages/strollers - ASTM F-833
  
• Gates/enclosures - ASTM F-1004
  
• Hook-on chairs - ASTM F1235
  
• Toy safety - ASTM F-963
  
• Evacuation cribs are required for all infants and, depending on local licensing, for young toddler groups (typically one for every four children). These special cribs must be of durable construction, narrow enough to pass through a 3 foot wide door, and have sturdy caster wheels approximately 4 inches in diameter, which allow one person to easily roll the cribs over different indoor/outdoor surfaces. The evacuation crib must have the capability of supporting and transporting a minimum of five 18-month-old children weighing a total of 121 lbs. The evacuation cribs will be placed closest to the exit in the sleeping rooms. They also will function as standard sleeping cribs.

8.1.1 Storage
Easily accessible adequate storage space should be provided for items such as carriages and strollers, wheeled toys, and cots or mats for Head Start classrooms. In the initial design process, the designer should obtain the number and approximate size of equipment to be stored.

Storage within the classrooms should appear uncluttered when the classroom is occupied and should meet functional needs. A combination of low open shelving, baskets, drawers, cabinets with doors, boxes, chests, hooks that do not present a hazard, adult height shelves, wall-hung cabinets, storage bags, buckets, crates, and bins may be utilized.

8.1.2 Flammability Codes and Standards
All textiles and upholstered components should comply with the applicable interior finish requirements stated in the Head Start Performance Standards and any other local or state standards that apply.

8.1.3 Upholstered Furniture
If possible, choose furniture upholstered with recycled fiber fabrics, such as PET from recycled beverage containers. Textile materials that can be removed easily for regular cleaning are generally preferred over fixed materials.

8.1.4 Chemicals
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC):
Carpets must have been tested for VOCs and bear a green label from the Carpet and Rug Institute indicating that the carpet emissions are within the acceptable range. (See Section 9.3.2 for carpet requirements and Section 9.3.1 for VOC and harmful ingredient restrictions for paint.)

Formaldehyde:
Formaldehyde is a known irritant. Products should contain less than 0.05 parts per million (ppm) of formaldehyde or have tested emission levels of formaldehyde lower than 0.05 ppm. Give preference to products made with zero added formaldehyde. Any product purchased with formaldehyde levels above 0.05 ppm must bear a label in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1048.

EPA’s Agency-wide Multimedia Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants Initiative focuses on the following top priority PBTs: aldrin/dieldrin, DDT, DDD, and DDE, mirex, toxaphene, hexachlorobenzene, chlordane, octachlorostyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, alkyl-lead, mercury, and compounds, PCBs, and dioxins and furans. Only materials and equipment whose manufacturing processes are completely free of the above chemicals should be used in Head Start facilities.

8.1.5 Safety
Shelving, tabletops, and counters should have 1/2-inch rounded edges. Furnishings in children’s areas that are 3 feet high or higher should be secured in place. Local codes may require all large furnishings to be secured in place. Mirrors should be constructed of safety glass, acrylic, or reflective metal.

8.1.6 Storage Units
Storage units for the children must be visible, accessible, and easy to use. Units may be dual purpose and serve as space dividers as well as storage units. They may be movable with locking casters except where local codes prohibit and should be designed to prevent climbing. Shelving open on both sides creates an uncluttered, light appearance. The back of a shelving unit can display children’s art.

8.1.7 Seating
Adult seating in the infant and toddler classroom should be soft and comfortable to provide a place where teachers can nurture children. Childscaled seating can include upholstered or exposed frame chairs, foam cubes, carpeted constructed seating, or cushions and pillows. Bean bag pillows should not be used for infants, since infants can easily suffocate if face down.

8.1.8 Tables and Chairs
Tables and chairs should be scaled to the child. The table height should be approximately 12 inches for infants; 16 inches for toddlers; and 20 inches for Head Start children.

Chair seat height should be 10 inches for toddlers and 12 inches for pre-school children. Infants and toddlers require high-sided chairs. Seating should have backs and arms with a seat height of approximately 8 to 12 inches for Head Start children.

Work surfaces or tables should have appropriate knee clearance for children in wheelchairs and should be 24 inches above the finished floor, 24 inches deep, and 30 inches wide. Top surface height should be a maximum of 2 inches higher than knee clearance and adjustable, if possible.

8.1.9 Countertops
Countertops should be approximately 18 inches above the finished floor for toddlers and 20 inches above the floor for pre-school children. Counter depth should be 18 to 20 inches when accessed from only one side. Counters that children can access from both sides encourage socialization and should be at least 24 inches deep.

8.2 Playground Equipment

The basic purpose of playground equipment is to stimulate play and offer challenges while safeguarding children and minimizing hazards. Play structures should be versatile and allow opportunities to rearrange elements for imaginative play.

Major parameters in determining quality in playground equipment are durability, low maintenance, safety, functionality, challenge, and appeal to the child. All equipment should comply with the CPSC’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety. Refer to Appendix H for information on products that reduce environmental impact.

It is important to follow safety guidelines regarding playground equipment. Refer to ASTM F1148-88 (Home Playground Equipment) and ASTM F15.29 (Entrapment, Installation and Maintenance, Materials, Terminology, Falls, Environmental), ASTM 1487-95, PS 83-97, F1292 and the Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements.

Refer also to the American Public Health Association and American Academy of Pediatrics in the publication Caring for Our Children; National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-Of-Home Child Care Programs, 1992, particularly Appendices 0-1 through 0-12, for recommendations on playground equipment.

Major types of playground equipment are:

• Slides
  
• Tire swings
  
• Climbing equipment
  
• Sand and water tables
  
• Playhouses
  
• Benches with seating
  
• Crawl-through structures
  
• Tables with seating
  
• Balancing equipment
  
• Wheeled toys
  
• Platforms/lofts
  
• Trash receptacles

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