• Goodyear
• Peoria
• West Phoenix
• Glendale

• Church Partners Introduction
• History and Leadership
• Church Partnership Program
• Preschool Facility Requirements
• Church Partnership Benefits

Great Beginnings Preschool and Childcare

Partnership Facility Requirements

New Build Pre-construction Checklist

1. Great Beginnings Administrative Staff are available to consult with you and your architect in the design of your facility to ensure that it meets all Department of Health Services licensing structural requirements for approved childcare facilities.
   
   
2. Church Architect must check for local zoning requirements for churches operating a preschool. Zoning requirements are unique to each municipality.
   
   
3. New construction that is located within 1/4 mile of any agricultural property requires a signed “Agricultural Land Notification” form from the property owner that agrees not to spray crops during days and hours of preschool operation. Great Beginnings will supply you with that required form if applicable.
   
   
4. Be sure to include in the original plans and building permit narrative that you submit to the city, that you plan to have a preschool in your facility. If the church has improper zoning, the process may be delayed or even denied.
   
   
5. Additional phone lines (2) and Internet access must be available for preschool office use.
   
   
6. Preschool signage is needed.
   
   
7. Fire alarm system to meet current city fire codes.
   
   
8. Drinking fountains in common areas near preschool classrooms.
   

Playground Requirements

1. Minimum 6 foot high fenced playground space is required. Fence can be, block, wood or iron. Spacing in fence posts or rails can not exceed 4 inches. Size of the playground depends on the desired license capacity of the school. The formula is the square footage of the playground space divided by 75 x 2 = capacity
   
   
2. Adequate playground equipment is required to meet DHS licensing requirements and to accommodate the license capacity of the facility. This equipment may include climbers, spring riders or playground systems. Great Beginnings can consult, provide catalogs of available equipment and help layout your playground if desired. A modestly equipped playground can cost $10,000.
   
   
3. Covered shade structure is required. (Cost $ 2,000 to $2,500)
   
   
4. A Drinking fountain on the playground is convenient but not essential.
   
   
5. Fall zones around the equipment must be either rubber mats or wood chips. Wood chips are inexpensive and require a border with a depth of six inches around the play structure or piece of equipment to ensure that the play safe stays in and around any area that presents a threat of falling.
   

Kitchen Requirements

1. Kitchen facility must be adequate to prepare lunch and snacks for children and must meet Health Department Standards. A triple sink and separate hand washing sink are required.
   
   
2. Adequate space is needed for a refrigerator and a small freezer.
   
   
3. A lockable pantry or lockable storage cabinets are also essential.
   
   
4. Stove with a vented hood & Microwave for warming.
   
   
5. Counter top space for food preparation and warmer.
   
   
6. Church kitchen designs tend to be very large at 300 square feet or larger. Great Beginnings, therefore caps the amount of square footage that it will pay for under the lease agreement at 300 square feet.
   

Storage Space

Classrooms

1. Classrooms must have adequate space for preschool furniture and cabinet space to support the license capacity of each particular room. Equipment would include:
   
   
   1. tables,
   2. chairs,
   3. toy shelves,
   4. and mat storage area cabinets.
      
      
2. At least one built in cabinet (8 ft. section) is necessary for preschool storage of supplies.
   
   
3. Bathrooms easily accessible in or between classrooms are ideal for new construction or in close proximity to classrooms for existing construction.
   
   
4. Great Beginnings' recommendation for classroom flooring (in new construction) is to do half hard surface such as tile or colored cement and half carpet. A hard service provides an area of the room for arts and crafts, meals and snacks without the risk of soiling the carpet.
   
   
5. The carpeted area absorbs sound and gives the kids a soft area to sit and play or to rest.The finished look is much more pleasing to the eye and provides a more comfortable environment for children overall.
   
   
6. Because Great Beginnings does not control the size of classrooms being constructed it is necessary for us to cap the maximum amount of square footage that we will offer for a particular room based on the determined preschool use for the room
   

Preschool Office