Casework
for a Head Start Classroom
Design, Construction and Installation of a Furniture Piece.
Background
The United State Department of EducationŐs Head Start Program is recognized as a very successful program in aiding under-privileged families in the caring, nurturing and education of their children. In Mississippi, these programs are heavily used and the improvement and development of new facilities are desired. With the Welfare Reform Act, there is an increasing need for improved and new facilities, especially in the Northeast and Delta Mississippi communities.
Charles Tillery from Prairie Opportunity Incorporated contacted Mississippi State University, seeking help, in the fall of 1996 and since then, the Small Town Center has developed a code analysis and day-lighting analysis for fourteen facilities and has constructed a piece of casework for one facility.
Existing Head Start Program Facilities
Most local Head Start Programs are established within 'manufactured buildings' which offer short-term economic benefits and meet the most basic needs; but this building type may limit the potential for long-term needs for durability, flexibility and accommodation specific to children. Also, this building type may limit the possibilities for spatial organization and environmental concerns to promote childrenŐs capacity for advanced communication skills, verbal intelligence and more positive social behavior.
By understanding the particular needs of different learning environments in the classroom, where learning activities and experiences occur, we hope to raise the expectations for these environments. Learning centers usually occur in such areas as physical-motor development, socio-emotional development, intellectual development, creative expression and individual development. Arranging the classrooms into learning centers provides order and organization, limits chaos and encourages children to pursue planned activities.
Project Results
The first portion of the project established a researched background of model early childhood center programs, including government regulations pertaining to childcare facilities, model programs for enhancing early childhood education, a reference bibliography, and a collection of exemplary facilities. The second portion of the project consisted of developing drawings of existing floor plans, site plans, a building section and photographs of fourteen facilities in the Prairie Opportunities region. By understanding the particular needs of the learning centers, a class of sixteen fourth-year architectural students studied the idea of a piece of casework to support the activities. Each student first developed their own individual proposals for different areas of the room, making a proposal for a piece of furniture. Then, small groups of students shared thoughts on the important aspects of the pieces. Students then made more detailed models and mock-ups of each of the pieces. After this stage, one piece was developed by the entire class and eventually built and installed in the Highway 25 Head Start Facility.
Future Expectations
This project has fostered discussion among the administration and care providers of Prairie Opportunity, Inc. to raise the awareness of the facility needs and make those needs visible and comprehensible for their fiscal planning of the program.
With the work of this project it was possible to identify the steps that must be taken to advance the physical conditions of the Head Start Programs that extend beyond minimum requirements. Following on the work of this project, it has been realized that a guide that educates caregivers of the requirements and possibilities for facilities is needed. Also, affordable, prototypical designs are needed to help educate caregivers about good design which takes advantage of the mild winter Mississippi climate and addresses the extended heat of the summers.
This piece of casework was completed and installed in the Highway 25 Head Start facility in the Spring of 1998. This project was developed by fourth-year students.
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