Design and Development Process
Developing a high-quality early learning and child care facility involves many complex and lengthy processes which require a range of specialized skills. There is a growing body of research that shows the design and arrangement of the indoor and outdoor environment has a significant impact on children - on how they play, how they behave and the opportunities the space provides. The space also has an impact on how the staff interact with the children and contributes to their ability to do their jobs well and to their job satisfaction.
You may be choosing between:
- Building your facility from scratch
- Expanding an existing space
- Renovating an existing space
- Renovating a new leased space
Will you rent/lease, buy or build? Will you create a stand-alone centre, or be part of a multi-purpose building? Some of these decisions may have already been made - perhaps your committee has been approached by a local school principal, inviting you to establish a program in the local school, or you’ve been approached by a developer to create an early learning and child care program in a new development. In other situations decisions may be dictated by the amount of money you are able to raise through available capital grants and fundraising activities.
The main factors that will tend to dictate which of these options you choose are usually linked to time and money. Cost is usually the biggest barrier to overcome and it will vary considerably whether you are in an urban, suburban or rural area. Per space costs can vary considerably, from about $10,000 per space for a modest renovation to about $65,000/space for new construction in a major urban area. Costs depend on whether you are developing a small modular, stand-alone facility or brick/concrete construction in a high density neighbourhood; the cost of construction and the construction climate -which can affect prices and the availability of trades; the cost of land and whether you are purchasing or leasing it. This can result in project costs that range between about $450,000 to $2 - $3 million for a 45-space centre. You will want to consider the value of the investment in relation to the permanence and the flexibility of the space.