The Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University

Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Architectural Engineering

ARCH 497C - Building Information Modeling Design Studio (3 credits) - Spring 10

Raymond A. Bowers Program for Excellence in Design and Construction of the Built Environment

Project Brief

The Vision and Program Statement for the Park Avenue Child Care Facility

Initiatives in Child Care Taken by Penn State: Penn State has a long-standing commitment to offer child care services to the Penn State community. Back in 1929 the Pennsylvania State College Nursery School opened its doors in the old Sparks House with only five children. Today, there are three child care facilities on Penn State’s University Park campus: Daybridge, operated by Knowledge Learning Corporation and serving approximately 200 children, the Bennett Family Center (BFC) serving approximately 120 children, and the Child Development Laboratory (CDL), serving approximately 56 children. The BFC and the CDL are “laboratory schools” operated by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) of Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development (HHD). Thus, in addition to providing child care services, an integral part of their mission is to serve as research and training sites for Penn State faculty and students.

The Vision and Rationale: The vision for the Park Avenue Child Care Facility is based, in part, on a needs assessment performed in 2005, which revealed strong demand for the care of very young children. This fact guided plans for the new facility and led to the unusual mix of ages with almost half the children being served in the six-weeks to 35-months age range. Because of the high costs associated with caring for very young children, most child care centers either do not enroll them or limit the number of children in this age range to about one-third of the total enrollment. A second impetus for building and operating the Park Avenue Child Care Facility is the planned renovation and partial demolition of South Henderson Building, which currently houses the CDL. In preparation for the planned renovations to South Henderson, the entire CDL child care program will transition to the new facility when it opens. All CDL staff and children will have the opportunity to move to the new facility, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity of care. The Bennett Family Center will continue to operate as it has in its current location.

The Program Statement: The new child care facility will be built on the southeast corner of North Allen Street and Park Avenue and will serve approximately 170 children of University faculty, staff and students. The facility will be sited in a way that maintains and protects the Hort Woods near that location. It will be operated using a mixed-age group philosophy and will include 10 groups of eight children aged six weeks to 35 months; and five groups of 18 children aged 36 months to 72 months. It is anticipated that the center will open in summer 2010. Although the primary mission of the new child care facility will be to provide high quality child care to the University community, it is anticipated that the facility will also be used for training undergraduate and graduate students from several different academic programs. Moreover, even though the BFC will continue to be the University’s laboratory school, it is anticipated that the new facility will also be utilized for research by faculty and students, especially when the BFC is unable to accommodate specific needs. Consequently, it will be necessary to make modest accommodations for training and research activities when the facility is designed. The new child care facility will be affiliated with the College of Health and Human Development and will be operated by a leading, high-quality child care management provider. The College will work closely with the provider to plan programs and facilitate the use of the facility for research and undergraduate and graduate training. In keeping with the University’s commitment to high-quality child care, the center will meet the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards for accreditation.

OVERVIEW

Proposed Population

Primary goal is to enroll as many children age 6-weeks to 35 months as possible and to provide continuous care for these children until they enroll in elementary school.

The population will consist of the following age groups:

80 - 6-weeks to 35 months (10 groups of 8 children)

90 - 36 to 72 months (5 groups of 18 children)

Total = 170 children

In addition, the facility could provide a no-school day/summer camp program for school-age children (6 to 10 years old).

NAEYC Child Space Requirements

In general, the National Association for the Education of Young Children requires a minimum of 35 sq feet per child of open, usable space in the classrooms.

In addition to this general guideline, the following presents the accreditation criteria for indoor design. Each criterion provides specific details to guide program plans, policies and practices.

·  equipment and furnishings for diaper changing and changing soiled underwear or other clothing that are located away from food preparation areas;

·  hand-washing sinks within arm's length of diaper changing tables;

·  a chair with a back and a seating height that allows the child to sit with his or her feet on the floor or ground (for each child over the age of one year);

·  tables at a height that allows a child to sit comfortably with the table between underarm and waist;

·  at least one cot, crib, mat, sleeping bag, or pad for each child who spends more than four hours a day in the program (no child is allowed to sleep on the floor without using rest equipment);

·  at least one cot or mat with a blanket for an ill child;

·  adaptations that allow children with disabilities and other special needs to fully participate in the program's activities;

·  a solid barrier or at least three-foot spacing that separates sleeping children from one another;

·  individual space is provided for each child's belongings;

·  a variety of age and developmentally appropriate materials and equipment are available for children throughout the day - this equipment includes dramatic play equipment; sensory materials such as sand, water, play dough, paint, and blocks; materials that support curriculum goals and objectives in literacy, math, science, social studies, and other content areas; and, gross-motor equipment for activities such as pulling up; walking; climbing in, on, and over; moving through, around, and under; pushing; pulling; and riding;

·  the indoor environment is designed so staff can supervise children by sight and sound at all times without relying on artificial monitoring devices - in semiprivate areas, it is always possible for both children and adults to be observed by an adult from outside the area;

·  when climbers, climbing gyms, slides, and other play units are part of the indoor environment, the program provides safety surfacing that is rated and installed in the fall zone as recommended by the manufacturer for the fall height of the play equipment - furnishings such as lofts are constructed to prevent falls (e.g., with appropriate barriers), or safety surfacing is installed in the fall zone;

·  staff organize and group materials on low, open shelves to encourage children to use them independently - staff rotate and adapt materials to promote learning and extend children's play opportunities;

·  materials and equipment that facilitate focused individual play or play with peers are available in sufficient quantities to occupy each child in activities that meet his or her interests;

·  staff arrange the environment to be welcoming and accessible. A welcoming and accessible environment contains elements such as: clearly defined places where families can gather information regarding the daily schedule and upcoming events; clearly defined places where families sign in, sign out, and gather information about their child's day; places for displaying children's work; and, features that moderate visual and auditory stimulation;

·  the indoor environment includes washable, soft elements that allow groups of children or adults and children to sit in close proximity for conversations or comforting;

·  clear pathways are available for children to move from one area to another without disturbing other children's work and play;

·  indoor space is designed and arranged to: accommodate children individually, in small groups, and in a large group; divide space into areas that are supplied with materials organized in a manner to support children's play and learning; provide semiprivate areas where children can play or work alone or with a friend; provide children with disabilities full access (making adaptations as necessary) to the curriculum and activities in the indoor space;

·  adults have a comfortable place to sit, hold, and feed infants - staff place rocking chairs and glider chairs in locations that will avoid injury to children who may be on the floor - nursing mothers have a place to breast-feed their children that meets their needs for comfort and privacy.

The following presents the accreditation criteria for outdoor design. Each criterion provides specific details to guide program plans, policies and practices.

·  Outdoor play areas, designed with equipment that is age and developmentally appropriate and that is located in clearly defined spaces with semiprivate areas where children can play alone or with a friend, accommodate:

1.  motor experiences such as running, climbing, balancing, riding, jumping, crawling, scooting or swinging.

2.  activities such as dramatic play, block building, manipulative play, or art activities.

3.  exploration of the natural environment, including a variety of natural and manufactured surfaces, and areas with natural materials such as nonpoisonous plants, shrubs, and trees.

·  The program makes adaptations so children with disabilities can fully participate in the outdoor curriculum and activities.

·  Program staff provide an outdoor play area that is protected by fences or by natural barriers to prevent access to streets and to avoid other dangers, such as pits, water hazards, or wells.

·  The outdoor play area is arranged so that staff can supervise children by sight and sound. The program provides at least 75 square feet of outside play space for each child playing outside at any one time. The total amount of required play space is based on a maximum of one-third of the total center enrollment being outside at one time.

·  Sandboxes that are part of a program facility are constructed to allow for drainage, are covered when not in use, and are cleaned of foreign matter on a regular basis. Staff replace sand as often as necessary to keep the sand clean.

·  The outdoor play area protects children from

1.  injury from falls (resilient surfacing should extend six feet beyond the limits of stationary equipment).

2.  catch points, sharp points, and protruding hardware.

3.  entrapment (openings should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches).

4.  tripping hazards.

5.  excessive wind and direct sunlight.

Space Needs

For purposes of determining the approximate square feet to be allocated, the building space is divided into four broad categories based on use: administrative space, child space, mechanical space, and outdoor space.

Administrative Space

This category includes reception area, offices (Director, Assistant Director and support staff at a minimum), staff/public restrooms, teacher prep/resource room, washer/dryer, commercial kitchen, staff lounge, conference/testing rooms, staff offices, central storage, kitchen (including storage). At this point in time, there is no desire to include space for observation rooms.

Child Space

In addition to the NAEYC requirements listed above, each room will need space for storage, art sink, and stroller storage (younger rooms only).

Mechanical Space

This category includes electrical, telecommunications, janitorial closet, HVAC, hallways, etc. Hallways should be wide enough to accommodate children’s cubbies. Otherwise, this space must be kept to a bare minimum.

Outdoor Space

In addition to the NAEYC requirements listed above, the Center will need space to store outdoor equipment and to provide parking as follows: at least 20 drop off/pick up parking spaces for parents, parking adjacent to the building for the Director and Assistant Director, and long-term parking for staff.