Child Care Center Equipment & Furnishings
Designed to help you with selecting furnishings and equipment that make your space usable and comfortable, child-safe and child-friendly, and attractive and functional for your needs. The careful selection and arrangement of furnishings is an essential step in transforming an empty space into an early childhood environment. The guide has been updated to include new resources and information that will support you in your quest to design a high quality early learning environment.
Introduction
This guide is organized to help you plan your space, beginning with an unfurnished room. The information has been shaped by years of experience, the accreditation guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), wisdom shared by longtime early childhood educators, and the publications described in the section on Resources, including the Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) tools.
Many state and local regulations govern the use of child care space. At a minimum these regulations include child care licensing and building and fire codes. Before you begin to arrange and equip your space, familiarize yourself with these regulations and how they may affect your equipment choices and classroom design. It is equally important to remember that these regulations serve as minimum standards. While every center must comply with all relevant codes and regulations, most early childhood programs will aspire to achieve a higher level of quality.
This guide focuses on equipping and furnishing children’s classrooms – the most critical component of a child care center. However, when building or upgrading a center, it is important to plan and budget for all of the equipment and furnishings needed for the variety of support spaces that most centers have. These spaces may include:
- Reception area
- Indoor gross motor space
- Offices
- Staff room
- Meeting rooms
- Parent resource room
- Kitchen
There are a number of general guidelines to keep in mind when planning all of your center’s equipment and furnishings purchases:
- Focus on quality and durability, not on immediate cost savings.
- Purchase items that will help you create a warm and inviting environment in your center and classrooms.
- Select items that will inspire, and not inhibit, children’s creativity and learning.
- Look for furnishings and equipment in colors and textures that blend harmoniously with other features of the space.
- Work with vendors known for high-quality and longlasting products, and who provide warranties and replacement parts.
- Ask vendors about upcoming sales or discounts.
The physical environment of your center is the most visible aspect of program quality. Careful planning of your space will help you create an environment where teachers can provide the best possible care and education for young children.
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