At the core, children need the same things we all do: space to move, comfort, the ability to accomplish tasks, and a sense of predictability.
Think of a child’s first steps—those wobbly, tentative movements that quickly turn into confident strides. They need room to explore, to fall, and to get back up again.
And just like Goldilocks searching for that “just right” spot, kids need a space that balances warmth and light, activity and quiet, where they can move freely between different areas depending on their mood.
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They also need to feel capable, which means designing spaces that let them do things on their own, whether it’s turning on a light or washing their hands. Small victories build confidence, and confidence is the foundation of learning.
Finally, predictability in layout—keeping restrooms and cubbies in consistent places across classrooms—helps children feel secure as they grow and move through new spaces.
In the end, it’s not about expensive materials or flashy designs; it’s about creating an environment where children feel safe, comfortable, and in control. Stick to the basics, focus on what truly matters, and you’ll create a space that nurtures their growth without breaking the bank.
After all, kids don’t care about fancy finishes—they care about feeling at home. And isn’t that what we all want?
What do kids need in a childcare building?
Creating an excellent environment for kids is easier than you think.
Don’t resign yourself to a mediocre daycare center design just because you are working with a tight budget. There are plenty of ways to maximize the positive impacts of a child’s physical surroundings without breaking the budget.
Before working with a designer, get clear about what is important to you and the children you’ll have in your care. Brainstorm and list all of the ideas of what you want to have in your classrooms. Then go back through the list and evaluate what items are a “NEED to have” vs. a “WANT to have”.
Likely, the things you need are the lesser expensive and more essential items.
Let’s take a look at what kids in a childcare building need:
1) Enough space to move around.
2) A need to feel comfortable.
3) To be able to accomplish tasks.
4) A sense of predictability.
As architects, as we design each new childcare center, we always make sure to meet these basic needs. It’s not difficult to imagine what children need, because they need the same things that we adults need. Go back over our list above, is there anything on the list that you would want to do without? Especially if it’s somewhere that you spend ten hours a day, five days a week?
Kids need enough space to move around.
Young children learn at lightning speed how to locate themselves and move around within space.
The first year is full of learning how to sit, crawl, walk, run, and play. There needs to be plenty of safe areas within their rooms to move around freely and learn these abilities.
When infants first learn to move, they scoot, slide, wiggle, and roll around on the floor. Then as their muscle strength grows, they begin to sit up on their own. When first sitting up, they generally look like a Weeble;
wobbling left to right and falling down over and over again. Because of all this falling, infants need a soft place to roll around and learn to sit up on. Using gym mats or padded flooring panels like these are ideal.
They are both inexpensive and washable.
When aging up to the Toddlers and older ages, classroom rugs need to be a low nap and rubber backed. Toddlers learning to walk need to do so without the extra hazard of tripping over a thick or slippery rug.
Kids need to have the freedom and the necessary space to move around without too many obstacles in their way.
If they are in areas that are too restrictive, they’ll likely start to fidget in their seats. It is essential not to limit their opportunities for movement.
Kids need to feel comfortable.
Imagine a place in your home that makes you feel comfortable. It’s not too dull, but not too stimulating either. It has a delicate balance to it, right? That balance between hard and soft surfaces, cool shadows and warm sunlight, and shelter from the weather with a view to the outside are what makes a comfortable place feel so good to us.
Like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, comfort is not too cold, not too hot, not too soft, and not too hard. It’s just right.
The concept behind creating a comfortable space is not to have everything be the exact same, but to have a balance between a variety of areas within the classroom. A child will be able to move towards active, bright, warm, and quiet areas of the room based on their mood and feelings on any given day or time of day.
Kids need to be able to accomplish tasks.
A child needs the ability to accomplish tasks independently as is developmentally appropriate for their age. They need to feel successful in getting around in their little piece of the world in order to gain confidence.
Set them up for success by designing as many winning tasks into their classroom as possible. Set the light switches to come on automatically, so they never get stuck in the dark. Set the hand-wash sinks and faucets down within their reach, so they can learn how to turn on the water, soap their hands, and wash. Do the same with paper towel holders and trash cans.
Install toilets that are smaller than the adult-sized ones at home, so they don’t need a step stool to get up and down. They will feel more successful and confident, but you will also eliminate the opportunity for stools to shift and fall accidents to occur.
A supportive environment helps children manage as many tasks as independently as possible.
Being able to retreat from the large group and have quiet time is a self-awareness task that each child needs the opportunity to learn. But in a childcare environment, a child is not afforded much privacy due to supervision requirements. To offset that, include window seats, small reading nooks, or padded furniture that can give them the respite they need when feeling overstimulated.
Kids need a sense of predictability.
Knowing their way around their school and their classroom helps children to offer children a sense of control. As you design each class, have the floorplan for each room be as similar as possible.
If restrooms are next to the classroom entrance for one room, have them be nearby for all classrooms.
If they are on the opposite side of the room, keep them consistently there for all classrooms. If child cubbies are right at the entry door, locate them near the entry door for all of the rooms.
This subtle way-finding will help each child feel a sense of predictability as they age up into each new room.
However you choose to address quiet space within the classroom, be continuous throughout so that it is easy for the child to know where they want to go for alone time.
Conclusion
As you reflect on what kids need in your childcare building, notice that there are no requirements for high-tech expensive building materials. There’s no need for marble counter-tops or decorative tile mosaics. Kids don’t care about those things. Young children don’t recognize designer tags, and they don’t care about high-priced solutions. They just sense what feels right, what makes them feel comfortable, where they can control as much of their surroundings as possible and have a sense of accomplishment in their lives. (Sounds a lot like what us adults need too!)
It’s to your advantage to stick with the basics. Keep it simple and focus on what matters most. Remember, classrooms need to be designed for the end-user, and that’s the children. Keep their needs the focus of your plans, and everything else will fall into place without breaking the bank.
-This article was written by Rebecca Calbert.
Rebecca is a licensed architect with over 30 years of experience. She owns and operates an architectural firm, Calbert Design Group, and educates her clients through the commercial real estate development process with online content at SaveOnBuilding.com. Rebecca’s “purpose” is to educate small business owners and protect them from what they don’t know.
The Goldilocks Guide to Designing the Perfect Daycare
Designing a daycare isn’t about creating a Pinterest-worthy space with sleek, designer furniture or the latest high-tech gadgets that would make NASA jealous. It’s about something much simpler—and, frankly, more important: understanding what kids really need. And as it turns out, those needs aren’t as complicated as you might think.
It reminds me of something my friend Rachel said when she opened her daycare. She had spent months obsessing over catalogs, contemplating whether she needed interactive whiteboards or handcrafted wooden toys from Sweden. Then one day, she watched a group of toddlers playing with cardboard boxes and realized that kids don’t care about aesthetics or gadgets. They care about space, comfort, and, perhaps most importantly, feeling like they have some control in their world. What’s more, these essentials—space, comfort, autonomy, and predictability—aren’t just important for kids. Adults crave the same things.
Space to Move: The First Steps Toward Independence
Think about a child’s first steps—those wobbly, hesitant movements, as if the ground might suddenly disappear beneath them. Now imagine trying to learn how to walk in a room packed with oversized furniture and trinkets you’re not allowed to touch. It’d be like running an obstacle course in a museum.
That’s why kids need space. They need room to explore, fall, and get back up again. The first year is all about discovering how their bodies work—crawling, walking, running, and eventually learning how to leap across the room in search of the next shiny thing. In Rachel’s daycare, she made sure to create open, clutter-free spaces with soft mats on the floor. These spaces gave the kids room to tumble, trip, and wobble their way to independence without knocking into something every two seconds.
And just like adults need legroom on an airplane, kids need room to stretch their legs too. The more they can move, the happier (and less fidgety) they’ll be.
Comfort: The Goldilocks Rule
Here’s where the magic happens. Kids, like the rest of us, are happiest when they feel comfortable. Picture Goldilocks trying out the beds in the Three Bears’ house—it’s all about finding that “just right” balance between soft and firm, light and dark, warm and cool. The same is true for a daycare space.
A daycare should offer a balance between active areas and cozy corners. One minute, a kid might want to run around and play; the next, they might just want a quiet nook to curl up with a book. Rachel designed her daycare with window seats, soft rugs, and cushions, providing spaces for kids to retreat when they felt overstimulated or just needed a break. “It’s not about making everything uniform,” Rachel explained, “it’s about giving them options. Some days they want the excitement, other days they just want to chill.”
Empowerment Through Design: The Little Things Matter
There’s nothing more thrilling for a child than mastering a task on their own—whether it’s turning on a light switch or washing their hands. Think of it as building confidence one small victory at a time. Kids love to feel capable, and the daycare environment should be designed to help them achieve that sense of independence.
Rachel thought about this, too. She installed low sinks so the kids could wash their hands by themselves. Light switches? Automatic, so no one would be stuck in the dark. Even the toilets were kid-sized, eliminating the need for step stools and potential accidents. These little adjustments made a big difference. The kids felt empowered to navigate their space independently, giving them a sense of control over their environment. And when they felt confident in the small things, that confidence spilled over into everything else they did.
Predictability: Keeping Things Consistent
Here’s where things get sneaky simple. Kids thrive on predictability. When they know what to expect, they feel safe, secure, and in control. This doesn’t mean life should be boring, but having consistency in the layout of a daycare helps children navigate their world with confidence.
Rachel made sure that each classroom in her daycare was designed similarly. Cubbies were always near the door, restrooms were always located in the same spot, and quiet areas were clearly defined. As children moved from one age group to the next, they weren’t disoriented by unfamiliar layouts. The subtle consistency provided a sense of calm—like knowing exactly where your favorite coffee shop is in a new city.
The Bottom Line: Kids Don’t Need Fancy
In the end, what kids need in a daycare isn’t expensive or high-tech. They need space to move, areas that provide comfort, opportunities to accomplish small tasks on their own, and a sense of predictability in their environment. None of these require breaking the bank.
Rachel laughed as she told me about her final epiphany: “I spent so much time stressing about décor and gadgets, but when the daycare opened, it was the soft rugs and low sinks that got the biggest reactions from the kids. They don’t care about designer finishes. They care about feeling at home.”
And isn’t that the point of a great daycare? Not to impress with flash, but to provide a space where kids feel safe, confident, and ready to explore their world—one wobbly step at a time.
