QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PRESCHOOL FACILITIES

QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PRESCHOOL FACILITIES

Recommendations of the Early Care and Education Coalition

 

Introduction

The Early Care and Education Coalition consists of more than two dozen organizations and individuals representing every aspect of the care and education of young children, including child care, Head Start, education and higher education. The Coalition is dedicated to advocacy for the comprehensive, high quality early childhood education mandated by the New Jersey Supreme Court for all three and four year old children in the Abbott districts.


The Coalition developed a position statement which outlines its recommendations to ensure that the State takes full advantage of the opportunity to provide a high quality early childhood education in the Abbott districts. The recommendations address a wide range of issues, including program standards, teacher qualifications, class size, facility needs, funding and necessary collaboration among all key partners, including child care providers, Head Start, and school districts; and are based on the assumption that adequate funding must and will be provided to meet the standards laid out by the Supreme Court.


The type of and standards for facilities to house preschool students were discussed during the initial meetings of the Coalition and no real answers seemed to be available. As a result, a facilities subcommittee of the Early Care and Education Coalition was established in early 1999. As a first agenda item, the members of the subcommittee began by asking how to best assess the conditions of facilities in which New Jersey's youngest students experienced their first taste of learning. In what type of setting should a quality program be provided? What are the standards for preschool facilities? Should the subcommittee recommend improving present standards? Who are the experts in this area?

After considerable deliberation, the subcommittee decided to develop a series of indicators for facilities housing preschool programs that would meet the needs of three and four year olds. Considerable time was spent reviewing the New Jersey Department of Education's administrative code for school facilities, Head Start standards, National Association of Education

for Young Children (NAEYC) standards, the Department of Human Services licensing requirements as well as other federal, state, and local codes. The amount of information available that specifically addresses the type of best environment to best house very young students was sparse. Architects and facility planners told the subcommittee that for the most part they rely on their clients to describe the type of buildings needed for implementation of preschool programs and they handle the design and technical development of a project. Academic experts dedicated to exploring quality in preschool facilities was also hard to find. The only answer to the dilemma of nonexistent indicators for quality preschool facilities was to develop them using all the resources and input available to the subcommittee.

During the past year, the facilities subcommittee developed a survey which was distributed to a sampling of architects, school principals and community child care providers. Responses were tallied by members of the subcommittee and, in some cases, further information was gathered through telephone and in-person interviews. Meetings were held to review, discuss and consolidate all information that had been collected. A document outlining the Quality Indicators for preschool Facilities was developed and then reviewed by all members of the Coalition for final approval.

Both the subcommittee and the full Coalition the Quality Indicators will provide a basis for discussion during the next few years as school districts and community-based preschool providers work together to develop environments most conducive to learning for these tiny pupils. These indicators are designed to be an addition to all existing state or federal facility requirements, such as Department of Human Services licensing, Department of Education codes, local code requirements, the Uniform Construction codes and, of course, federal handicapped accessibility requirements. They are meant to serve as guidelines, not requirements, and should be used to move the early childhood agenda forward toward a comprehensive approach to quality programs. Every building is different and every classroom is different, but these indicators should provide a starting point for an assessment of current preschool facilities and, hopefully, lead to the development of improved design for the new buildings needed to house New Jersey's preschool students.


QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PRESCHOOL FACILITIES

Recommendations of the Early Care and Education Coalition


I. PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS

    • SPACE
      • Indoor: A minimum of 50 square feet of usable space per child which is free and open and excludes storage and major pieces of equipment.
      • Storage:
        • Children's Storage: Each classroom should have open, accessible storage, such as a cubbies for each child for coat storage, personal papers, and change of clothing. Standard cubbies sold by major manufacturers are effective and attractive.
        • Teacher Storage: Each classroom should have a closet for the teacher's coat and personal items.
        • Classroom Storage: Additional storage should include an area, inaccessible to children, to store cots, bedding and storage of classroom materials such as manipulatives, puzzles and art supplies. Hanging mats are a reasonable option for some small storage spaces.
      • Bathrooms:
        • Each classroom should have an attached handicapped accessible bathroom that includes one toilet and one sink scaled for children ages three to five years old.
        • Bathrooms should be open to view as a safety precaution.
        • The bathroom should include a changing area.
        • Some cultures find an open bathroom offensive. A school policy should be developed to handle this issue if under question.
      • Floors:
        • Hardwood, vinyl flooring or rubber floors should be installed for their resilience.
        • Carpeting should not be installed due to serious concerns for children's health. Carpeting in school settings is frequently the breeding ground for mold growth and colonies of bacteria, both potential causes of asthma, etc. Easily cleaned and/or washable area rugs are recommended.
      • Lighting:
        • Classrooms should have large, low child-safe windows to allow children to view the outdoors and provide natural light.
        • Natural light should be supplemented with controlled artificial lighting.
      • Wiring: Electrical voice and data receptacles should be installed for technology and communication.
      • Water: Each classroom should access to a separate sink, not part of the bathroom, and a drinking fountain at the appropriate height for a child.

 

o       FURNISHINGS

§        Furniture should be arranged so that children can work individually, together in small groups, or in a large group with clear pathways to move from one area to another.

§        Wall space should be available to display children's work.

§        Counters, and any built-in seating should be accessible to children, usually a foot lower than the ideal height for adults. Seating should be about 10-12 inches above the floor.

§        Open shelves, accessible to children, should be available for educational materials to encourage independence and learning.

§        Small, semi-private places should be available indoors and outdoors to provide children with opportunities for solitude.

§        Classroom environments should include soft spaces, such as rugs, cushions and/or rocking chairs.

§        Sound absorbing materials, such as acoustical tiles, should be installed to minimize noise.

§        If there is no kitchen on the premises, each classroom should have a small refrigerator.

II. ADDITIONAL INDOOR ROOMS

When possible, a facility should include the following rooms:

    • Office space
    • Conference room
    • Multi-purpose room or gross motor room for indoor play and community activities
    • Space for parents and family support services
    • Kitchen, depending on the function of the facility
    • Faculty room
    • Sick area, located near the office or reception area
    • Adult handicapped accessible bathroom.

III. ENTRANCE/EXITS AND SECURITY

    • Pickup and drop-off areas should be safely situated and sufficiently large to provide safe entrances and exits for children and adults.
    • Drop-off areas should be positioned with clearly marked walkways from drop-off areas into buildings.
    • Students should enter through a wide, bright, spacious and clearly defined entrance with easy access to classrooms.
    • All exiting doors should lock and a process should be implemented requiring all visitors to report to the office or electronic doors should be installed and controlled from the office, except when a staff member is on hand to greet parents and students.
    • All classroom exit doors should be locked from the outside.
    • Exiting doors should have a push open lever rather than pull open lever or doorknobs.
    • All windows must have inside locks.
    • The building entrance should be visible to the receptionist or secretary.
    • A communication system must be installed in each classroom to allow for emergency calls.

IV. OUTDOOR PLAY AREAS

o       There should be 100 square feet per child of outdoor play space for each child using that space at one time.

o       Surface areas should include soil, sand, grass, hills, and a large, flat even surface for wheeled toys. There should be adequate padding (safety matting) under climbing toys.

o       Equipment should be developmentally appropriate, and should include equipment for sliding, climbing, crawling, balancing, running and imaginative play. Playground design should be barrier-free and sensitive to all disabilities.

o       Soil in play areas should be tested for lead and other contaminants annually.

o       All outdoor play areas should have convenient access to toilets and drinking water.

o       Storage for outdoor play equipment should be available and readily accessible to teachers.

o       Play areas should provide a mix of sun and shade with sheltered spaces for solitary, small group and quiet activities. If possible, there should be some access to water for play.

Sources:


Responses to a School Facilities Survey sent to a sampling of architects, school principals and community child care providers and distributed by the Facilities Subcommittee of the Early Care and Education Coalition.


Reviewed by Selim Iltus, child play environment specialist, City University of New York.


"Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs with Interpretations," National Association for the Education of Young Children, p. 19.


"Building Quality Child Care Facilities," Early Childhood Facilities Fund.

Nancy Allison, "Pre-K Possibilities," American School and University Magazine, August 1999.



Members of the Early Care and Education Coalition



  • Association for Children of New Jersey
  • Center for Early Education at Rutgers
  • Coalition of Infant Toddler Education
  • Education Law Center
  • Ellen Frede, Ph.D., The College of New Jersey*
  • Susan L. Golbeck, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University*
  • Ironbound Community Corporation, Newark
  • Nancy Lauter, Montclair State University*
  • Rosalyn Lenhoff, Kean University*
  • Ernest M. May
  • Nicholas M. Michelli, Montclair State University*
  • Newark Pre-School Council
  • Newark Teachers Union - Local 481 AFT
  • Newark Tenants Council
  • New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children
  • New Jersey Association of Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies
  • New Jersey Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
  • New Jersey Association of School Administrators
  • New Jersey Early Intervention Coalition
  • New Jersey Education Association
  • New Jersey Head Start Association
  • New Jersey Policy Development Board
  • New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association
  • New Jersey Reading Association
  • New Jersey State Federation of Teachers/AFT
  • New Jersey Statewide Coalition for Child Care
  • Programs for Parents, Inc.
  • Antoinette Spiotta, Montclair State University*
  • Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey
  • Janis Strasser, EdD., Asst.Professor, Early Education, William Paterson

University*

  • Urban Schools Superintendents Association
  • Youth Consultation Service

* For Identification purposes only.


Members of the Facilities Subcommittee of the Early Care and Education Coalition



  • Lorraine Cooke, NJAEYC
  • Brian Baker, NJEA
  • David Nash, NJPSA
  • Amanda Blagman, NJ Community Loan Fund
  • Lisa Fischetti, Architect
  • Maxine Fischel
  • Joseph Thomasberger, Tri-City Peoples Corporation
  • Thomas Turner, North Hudson Head Start
  • Joan Ponessa , Education Law Center
  • Cynthia Rice, ACNJ