Better Facilities Promote Quality

09/17/2007

Better Facilities Promote Quality

Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.
Brené Brown

In their article, “Building Early Childhood Facilities: What States Can Do to Create Supply and Promote Quality,” in Preschool Policy Brief (April 2007; www.nieer.org), Carl Sussman and Amy Gillman argue that well-designed facilities enhance child development and program quality as well as help promote a positive workplace in an industry challenged to retain experienced teachers. To make it possible for the early childhood field to increase the supply of high quality facilities, they made the following policy recommendations...

Facilities development policies need to address issues related to financial barriers, design and real estate development, and the policy and regulatory environment.
Capital subsidies must be available in order for child care programs to substantially renovate or construct a state-of–the-art facility.
If providers use debt to raise capital, it must be affordable to preschool programs with limited means.
Technical capacity needs to be developed — organizational, real estate development, and architectural — to build early education facilities.
A reliable system and supportive policy and regulatory environment are needed to enable the early childhood education field to meet its physical capital needs.

Great Ideas on Designing Great Places

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