Submitted by: Kris Starliper
Many people over look a certain aspect of running a day care center. Sure they might have the activities planned out, but what about the furniture? Selecting day care furniture is an important task. This task should not be taken lightly. The furniture in any room is significant, and it is particularly important that the proper furniture be used for children in a day care environment. Without the right day care furniture, children will be more likely to behave inappropriately, which will limit their education and wear on the nerves of the daycare center staff.
The first step in selecting day care furniture is to determine what pieces of furniture are necessary. Typically, a day care center will have tables and chairs, cribs, diaper changing stations, book stands, storage units, step stools, lockers, cubbies, and sinks.
Each of these elements is important, and the size and use by the day care will determine what grade of furniture needs to be selected. Common sense dictates that furniture that is used more should be of a higher quality and able to take a beating. The problem is that this type of furniture is often more expensive.
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Selecting tables and chairs is one of the first tasks, because the children will spend a lot of time using these furniture pieces. Of course, it is critical to select furniture that is the size that children can use. Table height should be around 18 for children, whereas an adult table could be 30 high.
Because children s furniture is small, it is typically light; therefore it is not necessary that the tables or chairs have wheels in order to be able to move them around. If tables do have wheels, make sure these wheels can be locked so that the furniture is not sliding around.
While wheels are not necessary for tables and chairs, it is often helpful if cribs do have wheels. First of all, in case of a fire, cribs with wheels can often be wheeled directly out of the building. Additionally, cribs are often too large to be able to conveniently pick up by hand, and wheels on cribs give this element of day care furniture a nice degree of flexibility.
Diaper changing stations can either be stand-alone furniture or built in items. Built-in items are nice because they are typically very stable and can go nicely with the d cor of the room. In any case, diaper-changing stations should be located near a sink, or have a portable sink nearby, for convenience in cleaning and maintaining these stations. Additionally, a trash can should be located nearby.
While there are many things to consider when selecting day care furniture, the process can be fun and enjoyable. In the end, following these tips should help you get day care furniture that is comfortable for the children and staff, as well as durable and cost-efficient. Remember, one of the most important aspects of a day care is keeping the children entertained, safe, but also comfortable while they are staying there.
About the Author: Kris Starliper used to spend many years working in his wood shop building various pieces of
day care furniture
for local day cares in his hometown. Now he has retired from wood working, and likes to write about his experience with creating preschool furniture, such as
portable sinks
and contribute information to
Child Care Catalog
.
Source:
isnare.com
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