March 2017 • Issue #4

Designing for Children Under Four

Given that many children spend long hours in child care, the design of their spaces as well as the design of their play is critical. Toxin-free play dough supports imaginative play while easy to clean, sustainable surfaces make sure play is healthy.

For more information, see Child Care Centers on SFTool.

Kids, Watts, Water, and Good Health

To understand how child care center design influences energy and water use, special considerations should be paid to items such as flooring and furnishings as well as playground equipment.  

For more information see  Child Care Center Resources and Case Studies.

Why Greening Child Care Centers Matters

12,500 hours. That’s how much time a child, entering as an infant and staying until the start of school, may spend in child care centers. That's why designing centers with healthy, sustainable characteristics is so important.

Children's typical behaviors, such as putting things in their mouths or playing on the floor, can result in exposures that adults do not face. Some environmental contaminants may affect children disproportionately because their bodies are still developing and can be more easily harmed.

Toxin-free materials, clean indoor air, access to daylight, connection to nature, developmentally appropriate furnishings and equipment, and enhanced acoustics all provide a healthy indoor environment for children’s development and learning.

Children’s ability to see, experience, and understand aspects of sustainable design also provides educational value. When children learn and practice energy and water conservation and recycling habits, these become part of daily life and are more likely to be valued in the future.

For more information, see GSA's Child Care Center Design Guide.

Posted by Michael Bloom, a HIgh-Performance Buildings Program Advisor in GSA’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings. Michael manages the SFTool Program.