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Child Care Facility Design - Favorable Locations for Child Care Centers

by Gary T. Moore
September/October 1997
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/child-care-facility-design-favorable-locations-for-child-care-centers/5011773/

The location of any child care center or other early childhood education facility (preschool, Head Start center, kindergarten, etc.) is a key factor in its success. Each group searching for a site for an early childhood center will want to consider the following major objectives:


- The Center As a Part of the Community

It is most desirable to locate a child care center in the child's neighborhood, preferably within walking distance. This is the characteristic pattern in much of Scandinavia, where child care centers are like salt and pepper throughout residential communities. According to an old study done by environmental psychologist Terrance Lee in England, having a center within walking distance (1_4 to 1_2 mile [1_2 to 1 km]) from the majority of families who might use it will result in the child having a better understanding of the physical environment. When walking, children don't play a passive role, as when being driven in a car, but are actively involved with their surroundings, with the environment, taking in the character of the neighborhood, looking at gardens, and so on. This concrete interaction with the environment corresponds to Piaget's theory which suggests the developmental importance of active involvement with objects and settings, rather ...

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