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

CHAPTER 5:
PLANNING FOR
SPACE AND LOCATION
This chapter contains criteria to be used in selecting a center
location and for planning and programming the space requirements.
Example space programs for different center sizes are
also provided. Any variances to the mandatory requirements
must be approved by the RCCC. The likelihood of the need
for such a variance should be identified as soon as possible
in the design process. Typically, this would be at the initial
design workshop or during the Prospectus Development Study
process.
The center is subject to the state and (if applicable) local child
care licensing requirements. The designer and the user must
review these requirements during the initial phases of design
so that later redesign is avoided. When there is apparent
contradiction, in consultation with the licensing authority, the
standards deemed more restrictive shall apply.
5.1 Criteria for Center Location
The location of the child care center is critical to a child’s safety, well being,
and quality of care. Location requirements can be grouped according to
the following broad categories of mandatory and recommended criteria:
enrollment, space, environment, safety, security, accessibility, and historic
preservation. For further detailed information on these categories, refer to
Chapter 10 of this document. When a center is subject to an individual
state’s licensing standards which are more restrictive than the criteria listed
below, the state licensing standards shall govern. Locate building within
1/2 mile of a commuter rail, light rail or subway station or 1/4 mile of 2 or
more bus lines to encourage the use of alternative transportation, particularly
by employees. To reduce the environmental impacts of new construction,
do not develop buildings on portions of sites that meet any one of the
following criteria, as described by LEED Version 2.0:
PBS-140 - July 2003
CHAPTER 5: PLANNING FOR SPACE AND LOCATION
a. Prime agricultural land as defined by the Farmland Trust.
b. Land with an elevation is lower than 5 feet above the 100-year
flood plane.
c. Land that provides habitat for any endangered species.
d. Within 100 feet of any wetland. Playground may be in the wetlands.
e. Land which, prior to acquisition for the project, was public park
land, unless land of equal or greater value as park land is accepted
in trade by the public land owner. (Park Authority projects
are exempt.)
Where applicable, the Urban Redevelopment, Brownfield Redevelopment,
and Reduced Site Disturbance criteria described in LEED Version 2.0 should
be met.
5.2 GSA Child Care Center
Enrollment Capacity
For programming purposes, a typical center should be designed to serve
no fewer than 74 children because fewer than that may be financially difficult
for commercial providers to sustain, and may hasten future turnover of
providers. Though the typical center is approximately 74 children, there
are several existing centers in the GSA system which are substantially
smaller or larger than this standard. At the same time, centers should not
exceed 150 children, unless they are designed as “pods” that can avoid
the feeling of an overwhelming institutional impression for small children.
Large centers that are not expressed as small components can engender
exactly the institutional environment that GSA seeks to avoid. If a center
needs to serve more than 150, approval of the RCCC is required.
5.3 Space Measurement Terms
See Glossary of Terms in Chapter 1.
5-1