Designing Child Care Centers Using the Children's Environments' Pattern Language

The Northern Michigan University Children's Center

Abstract

A proposed 22,000 square foot Children's Center was designed for the child care needs of 240 children at Northern Michigan University. The proposed Center was designed to achieve a developmentally optimal level of complexity and challenge, and to empower children and their caregivers to allow them freedom of movement and access, freedom of choice, freedom to plan and initiate, and the opportunity for privacy equivalent to a high quality home situation. The design of the building and the major design concepts from Recommendations for Child Care Centers that generated the building are discussed in this paper. Particular attention is given to "campus-plan concept for very large centers," "modified open plan," and "home bases" surrounded by "resource-rich activity pockets."