Design & Planning

Design4Kids provides planning and environmental design services to child-serving organizations and individuals. A large portion of the services offered are to early childhood programs, especially programs where they want to be more intentional in teaching and providing supportive settings for learning.

Family Child Care, group centers, preschools, school-based programs and Head Start centers are all welcome project partners. Active participation with staff at all such programs is the preferred process and it is frequently facilitated through in-service Registry approved workshops.

Design4Kids also serves schools, community groups, various shelter facilities, therapy centers, hospitals, children’s museums, parks and anyone providing for children.

Design4Kids is also available to serve in a consulting role to Architects, Landscape Architects, builders, developers and others needing guidance relative to design for children, playground safety, children learning with nature and construction/implementation of designs.

With Gerry’s training plus years of designing and manufacturing products for children, Design4Kids is also available to serve manufacturers of products for children. Design4Kids can assist with all aspects of design including compliance with safety standards, attention to child development and product marketing.

Construction coordination/management services on projects Design4Kids has designed with you are also available, to assist children’s programs with the very unfamiliar process of building what has been envisioned.

Nature Play Spaces

Believing that learning with nature in playful ways is one of the most important experiences to be providing children; Design4Kids
assists programs aiming to increase nature related experiences.

Design4Kids can help with modifying and enriching existing play yards, or in the planning of new play and learning places.

Workshops

In addition to the in-service workshops typically part of participatory planning projects, Design4Kids has offered and continues to develop learning experiences related to design for children and learning with nature, which have included:

• Enriching Outdoor Spaces for Young Children
• Natural Learning Outdoors
• Intentional Teaching, Intentional Environment Planning: Why NOT to Start with Catalogs
• Early Childhood Educators as Environmental Designers
• Applying WMELS Outdoors
• Improving Quality and Satisfying Standards, OUTDOORS
• Play and Learning to Develop Citizens and Sustainability Leaders of the Future

If there is a related topic you would like to explore with staff or colleagues, contact Design4Kids and with you, we can develop a learning experience around it.