PF1 Design and layout of premises

Criteria

The design and layout of the premises:

• support the provision of different types of indoor and outdoor experiences; and
• include quiet spaces, areas for physically active play, and space for a range of individual and group learning experiences appropriate to the number, ages, and abilities of children attending.

Related to clause 45(1)(a)(i) of standard.

Guidance

Centres need to be designed and laid out so the physical environment supports the way the curriculum can be provided. Activity spaces need to be configured to allow for a range of learning experiences, as well as meeting the minimum space per child requirement. Centres must have sufficient indoor space for group learning, and outdoor space must be of a size and shape that does not restrict different kinds of physical activity.

A centre with several small rooms, none of which is large enough for group activities, or a centre with a very long and thin outdoor space that could severely restrict the kinds of outdoor activities that could be provided would not meet the criterion.

PF2 Premises support effective supervision

Criteria

The design and layout of the premises support effective adult supervision so that children's access to the licensed space (indoor and outdoor) is not unnecessarily limited.

Guidance

Supervision is an important element in ensuring children are safe while attending the centre. The physical environment in centres needs to be designed and laid out so effective supervision is easy.

This does not necessarily mean all parts of the service must be visible to all adults at all times. However, potential ‘blind spots’ caused by the placement of the building on the land, the shape of the section or the interior layout do need to be identified and added to a centre’s hazard check sheet along with the mitigation strategy to ensure all staff and educators are aware of any issues.

Adults should be able to scan the environment while working alongside children, instead of needing to be constantly ‘on patrol’.

PF3 Building Act compliance

Criteria

The premises conform to any relevant bylaws of the local authority and the Building Act 2004.

Documentation required

1. Code Compliance Certificate issued under Section 95 of the Building Act 2004 for any building work undertaken, or alternatively, any other documentation that shows evidence of compliance.
2. If the premises fall under section 100 of the Building Act 2004, or section 108 of the Building Act 2004 applies:
   • a copy of the current Annual Building Warrant of Fitness; or
   • a copy of the compliance schedule if 12 months have not elapsed since the compliance schedule was first issued.

Guidance

The building consent process is administered by the local councils, as are council by-laws that might impact on the centre. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has information regarding Early childhood education centres and Building Code compliance.

Early childhood education centres – Building Performance

Before you undertake any building work at the centre (including the building of fences or outdoor play structures), the local council should be contacted to see if building consent is required.

Council websites and maps – LGNZ

The Code Compliance Certificate may include an occupancy load. This is the number of people who can be in the building at any one time and includes adults and children.

Building warrants of fitness and compliance schedules are required under the Building Act only when buildings contain an escalator, lift, cable car, automatic doors, or particular kind of fire alarm – they provide evidence that these mechanical systems are maintained in good working order.

PF4 Variety of equipment

Criteria

A sufficient quantity and variety of (indoor and outdoor) furniture, equipment, and materials is provided that is appropriate for the learning and abilities of the children attending.

Guidance

Children learn by interacting with people and with their environment. The furniture, equipment and resources provided for children will have an impact upon their learning, and how they view themselves and others.

Equipment at the centre will need to engage and challenge children and be flexible enough for children to construct their own learning. Flexible, moveable equipment allows children choice and control over how their learning environment is set up. Moveable equipment also encourages cooperation between children and provides opportunities for problem solving.

Exactly what type and quantity of furniture, equipment and materials provided will differ from centre to centre. Regardless of the type of equipment and materials provided, it is important there are sufficient quantities, so children do not have to wait long periods. This does not mean there has to be one of everything for each child at the centre, but children should be able to access equipment and materials that support their interests, skills and abilities.

Resources

• There is more information on the playground safety standard and a handbook for ECE services to download.

  Playgrounds

  SNZ HB 5828.2:2006 – Standards New Zealand

• More information on equipment in ECE centres.

  Furniture, fittings and equipment

• More information is available in the guidance for HS6 Securing furniture.

  HS6 Securing furniture

Things to consider

Consider how the furniture, equipment and resources you provide in the centre will:

• reflect the cultural differences in the centre
• promote and protect written and spoken language
• be non-sexist and inclusive
• support parents' aspirations for their children’s learning
• reflect different attitudes and feelings
• provide for group and individual play
• provide for children’s current and emerging interests
• provide opportunities for choice, planning and problem solving
• reflect the special nature or philosophy of the centre
• be relevant and challenging for the range of ages and abilities of children attending.

Consider a balance between natural products and man-made equipment and materials. Plastic products are usually cheaper and easy to clean, but they do not usually last as long or have the same aesthetic appeal as products made from natural materials.

PF5 Safe furniture and equipment

Criteria

All indoor and outdoor items and surfaces, furniture, equipment and materials are safe and suitable for their intended use.

Guidance

One way to ensure children’s safety is to make sure that the indoor and outdoor furniture and equipment within your centre complies with the New Zealand Safety Standards.

The New Zealand Standard for playground equipment and surfacing is NZS 5828:2015 Playground equipment and surfacing.

NZS 5828:2015 – Standards New Zealand

Before purchasing new equipment or safety surfacing, service providers should ensure the product has been tested against the specifications of NZS 5828:2015 and the manufacturer can supply a certificate of compliance for that product.

Services should check with any potential manufacturer/supplier that a certificate of compliance is available before purchase (for example, a certificated manufacturer may have added a new piece of equipment to its range since certification and the new product may not comply with NZS 5828:2015).

Newly installed playground equipment or safety surfacing must have a certificate of compliance to show it is installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. These may be asked for during the licence assessment process.

It is the responsibility of the service to ensure new playground equipment is compliant. If the furniture or equipment does not come with proof of compliance, ask the supplier to provide the appropriate evidence.

Where structures or equipment have not been designed, built and installed by a commercial manufacturer, as a minimum, centres need to demonstrate:

• evidence of ongoing routine maintenance inspection of structure/s and equipment for compliance with the following provisions of NZS 5828:2015:
  • entrapment provisions
  • fall zones (including free height fall provisions), and
  • structural adequacy, and
• a risk-management appraisal of any issues identified.

If the inspection is carried out by a person other than a qualified inspector a Playground Inspection Attestation Form stating that the structure/equipment is safe for use will need to be signed by the person completing the inspection.

Centres should take all reasonable steps to ensure equipment is kept in good repair and maintained regularly. A regular inspection programme to ensure equipment and surfacing are properly maintained is advised. This will ensure any necessary repairs and maintenance can be completed promptly.

PF6 Flooring

Criteria

§ Floor surfaces are durable, safe, and suitable for the range of activities to be carried out at the service (including wet and messy play), and can easily be kept clean.

Guidance

Floor surfaces should be easy to clean and suitable for the activities being undertaken. Well maintained wooden, particle, cork, polished concrete, tiles or vinyl floors are most suitable in an area used for messy play, while carpet is better in a book or block area. Consider how much time children spend on the floor when choosing a floor type.

Vinyl that is coved and extends a little way up the wall is easier to clean and is more hygienic over long periods of time because it eliminates joins at the edge of the floor. Different territorial authorities may have requirements to have vinyl in the toilet and kitchen areas (wet areas) extending 75mm up the wall. Check the requirements of your local authority.

It is a good rule of thumb to have about two-thirds hard surface (or similar) and one-third carpet in the children’s indoor play area. This is because a lot of messy play materials – such as paint, clay and water – are transported to other areas.

It is good for infants to have the opportunity to experience a range of textures. A range of mixed flooring types may be one way to provide this.

Things to consider

Mats are useful because they can be removed for cleaning and can be moved within the centre to reorganise the learning environment from time to time. There are some very effective semi-permanent tapes that attach a mat to the floor. This helps to ensure mats do not become a hazard.

You may want to consider under floor heating, particularly in centres catering for infants and toddlers.

ECE centres should consider having a long-term maintenance plan that includes a budget for replacement of worn-out flooring and/or surface protection.

PF7 Safety glass

Criteria

Any windows or other areas of glass accessible to children are either:

• made of safety glass; or
• covered by an adhesive film designed to hold the glass in place in the event of it being broken; or
• effectively guarded by barriers which prevent a child striking or falling against the glass.

Guidance

Broken glass presents a safety risk to children and adults. Children can be seriously injured if they fall against or strike unprotected windows, doors and mirrors. The most effective way of ensuring children and adults do not receive injuries from broken glass is to either prevent the glass from being broken or by ensuring that if the glass is broken it does not cut or pierce the skin.

Laminated safety glass or toughened safety glass is much stronger than ordinary glass and breaks less easily. When it does break, it does not splinter into sharp jagged pieces. This greatly reduces the risk of injury.

The Building Act makes it mandatory for all windows and doors in ‘high risk’ areas of new buildings to be safety-glazed. To check if the premises has safety glass fitted, either look for the safety standard logo etched into the corner of the glass panes or ask a glazier to check windows and glass doors and give a written attestation that they have safety glass.

Deciding which glassed areas are 'accessible to children' in the centre (and therefore need to be protected) should involve consideration of:

• its height from the floor (generally, anything below 80cm can be reached by young children)
• furniture or other items nearby that children are likely to climb onto that would bring them within reach of the glass.

Things to consider

If the ECE centre is being established in an existing building, children can be protected by:

• having barriers that prevent children from falling against glass surfaces
• fitting safety glass in windows or doors that children can reach
• treating non-safety-glazed windows, doors and low-level mirrors with safety film
• treating wired glass panels with safety film.

PF8 Storage

Criteria

There are sufficient spaces for equipment and material to be stored safely. Stored equipment and materials can be easily and safely accessed by adults, and where practicable, by children.

Guidance

Storage space is needed for the variety of indoor and outdoor equipment and resources that are required.

Children will need to have access to enable some choice from stored equipment and materials to support children’s learning.

Storage for children’s belongings

Allow plenty of space for children to have independent access to their belongings to give them the ability to take some responsibility for their things, including choosing what to wear throughout the day. It is important to remove anything that may be harmful to children, for example, medicines.

Things to consider

• How will storage facilities be arranged to ensure easy access, minimise congestion and ensure safety?
• How will the range of indoor and outdoor equipment and material be stored?
• Pay particular attention to frequently used areas.
• Avoid over stacking both on top of and inside cupboards.

PF9 Adult workspace

Criteria

Ø There is space for adults working at the service to:

• use for planned breaks
• meet privately with parents and colleagues
• store curriculum support materials; and
• assess, plan and evaluate.

Guidance

Adults should have adequate space to meet their own needs as they are working to support the education and care of the children. What this space looks like, and how it is configured, will differ from centre to centre, and is dependent upon a number of factors. These include:

• the staff numbers
• the length of time the service operates
• the type of staff who are employed, that is, if there are any administrative staff.
• In sessional services such as Playcentres, adults can use the furniture and fittings within the activity area when the children are not present.
• An all-day service will need to consider how they can provide an appropriate space for adults, as there are requirements for breaks under employment law.
• Staff space does not have to be located within the licensed premises, but it does need to be situated nearby.

All services need to ensure confidential information and records can be kept secure. In services without a lockable staff room or office, this can be achieved through the provision of lockable cupboards and/or lockable filing cabinets.

Things to consider

• Where will staff go to have their breaks when children are attending all day?
• Is there a quiet space for teachers to assess, plan, and evaluate children’s learning?
• Are adults able to have breaks (or non-contact time) out of sight of the children if they wish?
• Where will staff go if they need to meet privately with a parent? Is there a place where parents can feel comfortable at the centre?
• Is it practical or productive for administrative staff to share space with other staff using the space to relax during meal breaks?
• Will a single workspace or a space allocated within the activity space meet all the centre’s needs, or would it be more practical to have separate spaces?

PF10 Art sink

Criteria

§ Ø There are hygienic facilities (other than those required for PF26) or alternative arrangements available for the preparation and cleaning up of paint and other art materials.

Guidance

There needs to be adequate space and facilities to prepare and clean up paint and other art materials. Body wash facilities must not be used for art preparation and clean up.

It is preferable that the art preparation and clean-up facility is a separate plumbed-in sink or tub unit that is used exclusively for this purpose.

If a dedicated art sink is not possible at your centre, you will need to have an acceptable alternative system. Talk to your local health protection officer (HPO) from public health for advice about the best way to ensure hygienic practices.

Alternative systems may include:

• using one or more buckets to wash materials, and disposing of the wastewater in the cleaner’s sink or down an outside gully trap
• placing an insert into a sink facility used for another purpose to prevent art materials from coming into contact with any cleaning waste or chemical residues, and/or to prevent paint or wastewater from coming into contact with the sink.

Robust cleaning procedures are needed to ensure all facilities are thoroughly cleaned before and after being used for art preparation and clean up.

PF11 Telephone

Criteria

Ø There is a telephone on which calls can be made to and from the service.

Guidance

A phone at the centre allows:

• quick contact with emergency services when necessary
• 2-way contact with parents or caregivers (that is, you can call them, and they can call you)
• staff to carry out any business requiring phone contact.

A mobile phone is sufficient to meet the criterion so long as parents are happy to call a mobile number.

If a service is located within a larger premises (such as a school, church or recreation centre), then the phone services within that organisation may be used to comply with this requirement. However, there needs to be adequate systems in place to allow phone messages to be relayed back to the service, and the service to be able to use the phone to make calls when necessary and not impact on adult to child ratios.

Things to consider

Cordless phones are one of the most popular and practical types of phone used in early childhood education centres. The main advantages of cordless phones include being able to:

• make and take calls while moving around the centre
• make emergency calls from anywhere inside or outside the building.

However, if your only phone is a cordless unit, be aware you will be unable to use it when the power goes off for any reason. A ‘back-up’ phone for emergencies is a good idea in this instance.

Some centres (especially those without administration staff) choose to divert incoming calls to an answer phone during particular times of the day, to minimise the interruptions to staff while they are working with children. This is a matter of choice, but checking messages at regular points through the day to ensure that urgent or important information from parents is received is recommended.

PF12 Lighting, ventilation, heating and acoustic materials

Criteria

§ Parts of the building or buildings used by children have:

• lighting (natural or artificial) that is appropriate to the activities offered or purpose of each room
• ventilation (natural or mechanical) that allows fresh air to circulate (particularly in sanitary and sleep areas)
• a safe and effective means of maintaining a room temperature of no lower than 18°C and
• acoustic absorption materials, if necessary, to reduce noise levels that may negatively affect children's learning or wellbeing.

Guidance

Lighting

Indoor early childhood education and care centre spaces need to be designed for natural light and consider the visual awareness of the outside environment. Lighting (natural or artificial) should be appropriate to the activities offered or purpose of each room.

The location and type of artificial light should be carefully considered in the planning and design of an early childhood education and care centre and should consider the activities and purpose of each room.

If early childhood education and care centres have any concerns about interior lighting levels, they are able to contact the local regional public health officer for advice.

Ventilation

Ventilation should be carefully considered in the planning and design of an early childhood education and care centre. A space’s ventilation will be influenced by how it was designed, how it is currently being used, and the outdoor conditions. Good ventilation will provide fresh, clean air while maintaining comfortable temperature and humidity levels for the people in the space.

More detailed information is available on Ventilation in early learning services.

Ventilation in early learning services

Heating

Efficient heating that suits your early childhood education and care centre’s layout and design will ensure rooms can be kept at a comfortable temperature no lower 18°C (measured at 500mm above the floor) while children are attending.

HS24 Room temperature

There are a range of options to control room temperature, but safety of children is paramount.

HS12 Hazard and risk management

Acoustic materials (noise)

The design and materials used in your centre will help to reduce noise levels for everyone’s benefit.

Double glazing can be very effective in reducing outside noise experienced inside a building, but consideration will need to be given as to how noise will be mitigated if the doors and windows are open for access and ventilation.

Within the internal environment the design of spaces along with the materials and furniture used in your centre will help to reduce noise levels for everyone’s benefit.

As a general rule, 2 things help to reduce noise.

Soft furnishings

The softer furnishings you have, the more sound is absorbed.

Some practical options are:

• curtains
• rugs and carpet
• big cushions
• couches/lounge chairs.

Complex shapes

Complex shapes break up and scatter sound waves, reducing noise reverberation in the room.

Some practical examples are:

• acoustic ceiling tiles
• fabric draped from the ceiling
• wall textiles especially thick wall hangings and 3-dimensional decorations rather than flat pictures
• carpet attached to the underside of tables.

Consideration may be needed to ensure supervision requirements can be met.

More information about noise is in the licensing criteria guidance for HS15 Noise levels.

HS15 Noise levels

If early childhood education and care centres have any concerns about noise levels inside a centre, they are able to contact the local regional public health officer for advice.

The World Health Organization (1999) has recommended maximum noise exposures in early childhood education and care centre environments:

Things to consider

Room temperature

How will you know you are maintaining the temperature down at the children’s level as required by HS24?

Acoustics (noise)

How will you monitor noise in the environment once you are operating to know if you need to initiate further noise effects mitigation?

Some services use a device such as a traffic light that indicates when noise volumes are too high, and children can be reminded to lower the noise levels.

More information about noise is in the licensing criteria guidance for HS15 Noise levels.

HS15 Noise levels

PF13 Outdoor activity space

Criteria

Outdoor activity space is:

• connected to the indoor activity space and can be easily and safely accessed by children
• safe, well-drained, and suitably surfaced for a variety of activities
• enclosed by structures and/or fences and gates designed to ensure that children are not able to leave the premises without the knowledge of adults providing education and care
• not unduly restricted by Resource Consent conditions with regards to its use by the service to provide for outdoor experiences; and
• available for the exclusive use of the service during hours of operation.

Guidance

It is important all mobile children are able to get outside without being dependent on adults. In your planning to meet the easy and safe access by children criterion, the service will need to consider factors such as whether any obstructions and/or health and safety risks can be removed or minimised, or if the adult to child ratio may need to be higher if there are a number of stairs that children must use.

Outdoor space should enable children to experience natural settings (for example, wind, sky, sun, rain) and enable children to undertake activities that would generally not be allowed inside a building (for example, running, kicking a ball). The suitability of the outdoor space to provide learning outcomes for children will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the practicalities and risks of each case under the provisions of Regulation 54(3) of the Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008.

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008, Regulation 54 – New Zealand Legislation

To enable children to access the outdoors easily and safely, the outdoor activity space needs to be connected to the indoor activity space. Where the outdoor space is lower or higher than the indoor space, a ramp or steps can be used to provide access between the two.

Surfacing

If children are spending long hours at the centre, think about the types of outdoor surfaces you are providing for them to play on. Having a variety of surfaces (such as grass, bark, concrete, safety surfaces) to play on supports children’s exploration and helps them to make links with the wider world. Regardless of the types of surfaces provided, each must be safe, well drained and fit for purpose. Any surface that allows water to pool is a potential safety hazard.

Grass is an ideal surface for most outdoor activities. It can also be used as a safety surface for equipment under 1 metre in height. It has the advantage of staying cool in hot weather and is suitable for both walking and crawling children.

Areas of concrete or paving are also suitable for outdoor activity, provided they have been laid correctly. Both types generally drain well and have the advantage of needing little maintenance. However, they are hard and abrasive and cannot be used as a safety surface.

Artificial grass has the advantage of being low-maintenance and, if correctly laid, usable in all weather. For safety reasons, only use artificial grass that is laid over a base of sand, not plastic beads. Artificial grass can be abrasive to bare skin and can also harbour pathogens if not cleaned regularly.

Refer to criterion PF5 Safe furniture and equipment (above) for more information on relevant standards.

Fences and gates

Each licensed centre must be enclosed by suitable structures and/or fences and gates to prevent children from leaving the centre without the knowledge of an adult. Fences are available in a multitude of designs and can be made from a variety of materials including, wood, steel, bricks, concrete blocks, aluminium and so on. When considering the design of any structure, fence or gate, children’s safety must be the prime consideration.

As well as being unclimbable, structures, fences and gates should not be hazardous to attending children and adults or to the public.

Structures and fences should:

• be of a height and design that prevents children climbing over. Young children can commonly scale a fence that is less than 1.2m high, so this would be a minimum
• have any horizontal railings or low posts located on the exterior of the fence
• where possible, allow children to see what is happening outside the centre boundary
• be designed to eliminate head or limb entrapments
• not be made of materials that allow children to gain a foot or toe hold, for example mesh or netting with holes over 25mm in diameter.

Beware of plantings (trees) and placement of moveable equipment that negate the height of the fence.

Gates should:

• be of a height and design to prevent children from climbing over or through
• preferably have a self-closing mechanism installed
• have a latching mechanism that is unreachable by children.

Things to consider

When thinking about how to enclose your centre, consider:

• the age and abilities of the children who are likely to attend your centre – some children are extremely agile and nimble from a very young age
• where your centre is located – ground level or high-rise
• the contour of the section – any low or high points
• plantings (trees) and placement of movable equipment that negate the height of the fence
• potential risks bordering the centre, for example, highways, rivers, other hazards
• suitability of fences, gates, or structures to mitigate the risks identified
• cost – what is both effective and affordable?

Resource consent conditions

The Resource Management Act 1991 is concerned with keeping the environment a pleasant place to live, work, and play. When considering resource consent applications, territorial local authorities (councils) are required to consider any adverse impact the activity may have on the surrounding environment.

At times, restrictions are added to the consent approval as a means of ensuring businesses, such as early childhood education centres, meet the rules outlined in the district plan for the area. Restrictions relating to fence height or design, or the type of exterior surfacing used, assist in reducing noise levels and do not unduly impact upon children’s outdoor activity.

However, sometimes resource consent approvals include conditions that restrict children’s use of the outdoor play space (and have a negative impact on the curriculum).

Such conditions may include, but are not limited to:

• limiting children’s access to the outdoors to nominated hours of the day
• the prohibition of particular activities (such as music)
• limiting the number of children allowed outside at any one time
• requiring exterior doors and/or windows to be closed at all times.

The number and ‘severity’ of such conditions can impact on whether or not the Ministry of Education considers the licensing requirements for outdoor space and outdoor experiences can be met. The Ministry considers the overall ability of the service to provide outdoor experiences for children, rather than solely considering whether restrictions limit use by children for particular times or activities.

It is suggested service providers make contact with their territorial local authority at the earliest stage when planning a new centre or renovations to clarify any resource consent requirements.

Council websites and maps – LGNZ

PF14 Infant toddler safe space

Criteria

Applies only to services licensed for under 2-year-olds

There are safe and comfortable (indoor and outdoor) spaces for infants, toddlers or children not walking to lie, roll, creep, crawl, pull themselves up, learn to walk and to be protected from more mobile children.

Guidance

This criterion does not require that infants and toddlers are kept separated from older children. Mixed-age settings and whānau grouping are central to the philosophy of some centres.

When children of varying levels of ability and mobility are together in the same activity space, it is very important the environment is designed with infants and toddlers in mind so they can safely play and explore, both indoors and outdoors. This does not mean that infants and toddlers cannot move throughout the centre, learning alongside older children.

An infant/toddler space:

• allows young children the freedom to explore and play in an environment designed especially for them
• lessens the likelihood of a prone or crawling infant, or a toddler just beginning to find their feet, being accidentally injured by an older child who is fully engaged in their own play and is not aware of their presence
• provides older children with the opportunity to concentrate and work on a project for a sustained period of time without fear of it being demolished by a young 'helper'
• means older children can enter the space freely to play and interact with their younger friends or siblings but do so consciously.

There is no minimum space requirement for this area to meet the criterion to allow flexibility for services.

The size and layout of your infant/toddler spaces will depend on the number of children under 2 in the centre, and how it will be used.

Setting up a separate area

If setting up a separate area:

• ensure there is enough space for adults working in the area as well as the children
• think about how the space will be separated – low barriers or fences are not suitable as they could be a tripping hazard.
• think about how the space can support infants and toddlers to explore movement such as rolling, crawling, pulling themselves up, climbing and walking
• if the area for infants is a separate room, think about how you will deploy staff across rooms to ensure adult:child ratios are maintained across the service.

It would be good practice to meet the ratio in the under 2’s room, so if there are 8 infants there would be 2 adults in that room.

If staff are needed to move between rooms, the service should ensure ratios are maintained in both rooms.