Learn the best practices for designing sustainable spaces that also inspire children to be creative, play, and develop a deep connection with nature....

This paper and accompanying short videos are part of the Making Space series, a project of the Naitonal Chidlren's Facilities Network. This intallment explores how children's children connection to nature has changed in the context of our changing climate, and how child care facilities may play a role in restrengthening that relationship....

A fast fact sheet authored by LISC to support Rhode Island Child Care Early Learning Facilities Fund grantees to meet quality guidelines related to fencing for outdoor play areas in child care centers....

Written from the perspective of an architect, this short report explains best practices for designing environmentally and financially sustainable child care centers....

"Licensed child care centers are generally considered to be safe because they are required to meet state licensing regulations. As part of their licensing requirements, many states inspect child care centers and include an assessment of the health and safety of the facility to look for hazardous conditions or practices that may harm children. However, most states do not require an environmental assessment of the child care center building or land to prevent a center from being placed on, next to, or inside contaminated buildings. Having worked on several sites where child care centers were affected by environmental contaminants, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) endeavor to raise awareness of this issue. One of ATSDR's partner states, Connecticut, took a proactive, non-regulatory approach to the issue with the development its Child Day Care Screening Assessment for Environmental Risk Program."...