Designing and building your service
Choosing the site
Consideration must be given to the environment that you are choosing for your service. Such things as noise, air quality, traffic, surrounding use of properties and soil contamination are important elements to think about.
Resource consent
Before you invest large sums of money designing your service, it is strongly recommended that you find out about resource consent.
If conditions attached to your resource consent limit the full operation of your ECE service (e.g. a condition that puts limitations on the times that the outdoor area can be used), your service may not comply with the regulations and therefore could not be licensed.
You'll find useful information on resource consents in the publications area of the Ministry for the Environment website.
It's also important to talk to your local or regional council about the resource consent process in your area. Council officials can:
- help you work out whether you’ll need a resource consent
- explain how to go about talking with people who might be affected by your project
- explain how to prepare an assessment of environmental effects - they might also tell you to visit the regional council
- process your consent.
The environmental effects of having an ECE service in the neighbourhood will be considered before resource consent is granted. Sometimes resource consent has to be publicly notified. Consents can be declined or have conditions attached (e.g. a higher fence or off street parking may be required).
You can find helpful information about building regulations at the 'Building Controls' section of the Department of Building website.
Design steps
We suggest you work through the following steps:
A. Develop indoor and outdoor plans in consultation with your architect, teachers, community, and your local Ministry of Education office.
To help you, the Ministry of Education has developed the following resources:
- The Design and Build Scheme. This provides modular ECE building plans. The plans can be arranged in a variety of ways to suit your needs. The Design and Build Scheme is available through Signature Homes.
- Resource: The Centre Design Guide. This comprehensive information provides design ideas for everything from bathrooms to sandpits.
- Resource: Renovating an existing building or building a new service. Checklist to help you consider a range of issues when renovating an existing building or choosing a site and building a new centre.
- Other resources (standards, articles, books, weblinks, videos) are listed further down this page.
B. Contact your regional Health Protection Officer (HPO) and discuss your indoor and outdoor plans with them. You can search for your regional HPO using the Ministry of Health website. HPO's may provide a 'new centres pack' that will provide valuable information.
C. Ensure that building plans comply with the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004, as well as relevant sections of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008. Looking at the criteria for your service type will be helpful as it provides more detail about the standards required to meet the regulations.
You can use the Ministry of Education's licensing assessment tool for centre-based ECE services (doc, 553kb) or talk to your local Ministry of Education office to find out more about early childhood regulations.
D. Before plans are finalised contact your local Ministry of Education office for feedback. Apply for resource consent (if you haven’t already) and a building consent. You must have building consent and resource consent before commencing work on the building.
Build steps
When you have building consent and resource consent, we suggest you:
A. Employ a project manager and tradespeople (if you haven’t already). It is recommended that you always use tradespeople and professionals who are registered with their professional body e.g. Registered Master Builders. Visit the Home Build Directory to find out more.
Other resources: Standards, books, articles, videos
Standards
The Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 [regulation 45 Criteria PF5] require all licensed ECE services to comply with applicable New Zealand standards.
Standards New Zealand has developed a guide for playground owners and operators of supervised early childhood facilities: Supervised Early Childhood Facilities - Playground Equipment and Surfacing Handbook (SNZ HB 5828.2:2006) (Standards New Zealand website).
Books
Ceppi, G., Zini, M. (Eds.) (1998). Children, spaces, relations: Metaproject for an environment for young children. Milan, Italy: Reggio Children.
Dudek, Mark. (2001). Kindergarten architecture: Space for the imagination. London: E. & F.N. Spon. ISBN 0419245200.
Greenman, J., & Stonehouse, A. (1997). Prime times: A handbook for excellence in infant and toddler programs. South Melbourne: Addison Wesley Longman. ISBN 0582876494.
Greenman, J. (2005). Caring Spaces, learning places: Children's environments that work. Redmond, WA: Exchange Press. ISBN 0942702336.
Ministry of Health. (1997). Ngā kupu oranga: Healthy messages. Wellington: Author. ISBN 0478094957.
Olds, A.R. (2000). Child care design guide. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing. ISBN 0070474494.
Christie, T., & Christie, R. (2004). Childspaces: Design source book for early childhood environments. Wellington: Childspace Early Childhood Institute, 2004.
Post, J., & Hohmann, M. (2000). Tender care and early learning: Supporting infants and toddlers in child care settings. Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/Scope Press. ISBN 1573790907.
DVDs and Videos
Carr, M. (1998). Assessing children's learning in early childhood settings - A professional development programme for discussion and reflection. [Kit, contains 3 videos, 1 book, 17 overhead transparencies]. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research. ISBN 1877140503.
Ministry of Education. (2001). Empowered to learn: Whakamana ki te ako: Te Whāriki for infants and toddlers. [Video/DVD and teacher's handbook]. Te Whāriki: Policy to practice, 3. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2001). Empowered to learn: Whakamana ki te ako: Te Whāriki for young children. [Video/DVD and teacher's handbook]. Te Whāriki: Policy to practice, 2 . Wellington: Learning Media.
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