PBS 140 Child Care Center Design Guide - The Whole Building ...

on site, or brought from home. In most instances, food will be prepared on
site because it typically results in more affordable care. The design process
should make all parties aware of the long-term costs and ramifications of
catered food service.
Food service facilities must accommodate the serving of nutritious meals
and maintain the quality of food. Special accommodations must be provided
for infant feeding and nursing.
4.1.10 Evaluation:
GOAL: Systematic assessment of the effectiveness of the program in
meeting its goals for children, parents, and staff is conducted to ensure
that good quality care and education are provided and maintained.
Space must be supplied for the filing and storage of children’s records,
observations, case studies, etc. A staff training area, such as a conference
room, should be provided.
4.2 Group Size and Staff-Child
Ratio
Sufficient staff MUST be available to provide frequent personal contact,
meaningful learning activities, supervision, and physical care. A limited
group size and a limited ratio of children to staff are critical for program
success. Group sizes should be small so children receive personal attention
and do not feel overwhelmed. The ratio of staff to child will vary depending
upon:
� Age of children.
� Type of program activity.
� Inclusion of children with special needs.
� Mixing of children of different ages (age mixing)/state and local licensing
requirements.
PBS-140 - July 2003
CHAPTER 4: NAEYC AND OTHER STANDARDS
� Age Separation is the grouping of children into single-age classes. This
practice allows adult providers to care for children who are close in chronological
age. Some of the advantages noted below for age mixing can
be facilitated by placing small windows which do not encumber furniture
at children’s level between classrooms. Children can observe the behavior
of other groups. Apart from other advantages, the effect is to
expose younger children to the behavior of older children as a teaching
and socialization aid. Where possible, windows at adult viewing level
should be incorporated to enhance supervision.
� Age Mixing is the placing of children who are at least a year or more
apart in chronological age into the same child care group. Groups with
mixed ages of older toddlers and pre-school children may provide advantages
by encouraging interaction between children of different ages.
When children 2 years old and older are part of a mixed-age group, the
center must adhere to the group sizes and teacher-child supervision
ratios shown for those younger children on the following page.
Classroom size must be consistent with group size. See Table 4.1 for
group size and required staff-child ratios.
4.3 Additional Requirements
In addition to complying with NAEYC criteria, child care centers in GSAowned
or -controlled spaces must comply with the licensing requirements
of the state in which they are located. When there is conflict between
criteria, the most stringent requirements will apply. Licensing requirements
vary between states and are constantly being updated and modified. The
user must review the requirements of the specific state at the time the
center is designed.
1 ACCREDITATION CRITERIA & PROCEDURES OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, Washington, D.C.: National Association for the
Education of Young Children, 1991.
2 Amended from ACCREDITATION CRITERIA & PROCEDURES OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, Washington, D.C.: National Association
for the Education of Young Children, 1991.
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