Education Programs with Specialized Facility Needs

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Chapter 3: Educational Programs with Specialized Facility Needs

School facilities are designed to meet the diverse needs of students and to support the priorities of local educational programs and initiatives. The facilities master planning process provides an opportunity to evaluate facility needs for existing educational programs and to implement new programs. The uniqueness of the educational programs at each site should be considered while evaluating and planning for specific schools during the facilities master plan (FMP) process. There may be site-related or themed schools based on innovative facility design and the FMP should prioritize programs that have special space requirements.

Regardless of the educational programs, local educational agencies (LEAs) should engage community stakeholders early and often in planning and design, including educators and families, to ensure the specialized facilities meet student needs, real-world needs, and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The following programs and resources are not an exhaustive list but provide examples of the importance of including educational programs with specialized facility needs in the FMP.

• Early Learning Facilities
• Career Technical Education
• Special Education Facilities  
• Physical Education
• Makerspaces
• Outdoor Learning Environments
• Community School Services

Early Learning Facilities

Expanding early education programs, including the implementation of Universal PreKindergarten (UPK), can be a daunting challenge for many districts. Many existing school sites are unable to expand their existing kindergarten complex to include additional classrooms for early learning students. Consequently, preschool, transitional kindergarten and/or kindergarten classrooms and play areas may be placed in different areas on campus. Early learner classrooms should be adaptable to meet the needs of preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten while navigating the requirements of the Department of Social Services/Community Care Licensing (for licensed preschools) and the California Department of Education (CDE).

Key Planning Considerations

• Does your district need to reconfigure attendance boundaries to support UPK?
• Will grade level configurations change to accommodate the addition of early learners (e.g., elementary becomes PreK–4, middle becomes 5–8)?
• Are there closed or underutilized facilities that could be reconfigured to serve early learners?
  
• Could smaller satellite sites near existing schools help meet space needs? If the district is planning to expand or establish a new school site for early learners, they must engage with the CDE and consult their assigned field representative regarding site selection, site approvals, and any proposed site additions.
  
• Does the school need additional play areas to support age differences (i.e. fall heights)?
  
• If reconfiguring existing classroom spaces, are there dedicated restroom facilities for the early learners?

Resources

Title 5 Regulations for Kindergarten Facilities

Community Care Licensing Guidelines

Career Technical Education

Well planned and designed career technical education (CTE) facilities prepare students for successful careers in a changing economy. Effective planning is the foundation of successful CTE facility development. California CTE facilities must align with both state educational goals and regional workforce needs.

Key Planning Considerations

• Site Access: Placement of theaters and shops may need delivery of materials and necessitate consideration of where they are placed to ensure safe access.
  
• Articulation of CTE Programs: Expanding CTE opportunities to middle and elementary schools includes consideration of placements on site and providing learning environments that are adaptable to support many industry sectors.
  
• Adequate ventilation and electrical load should be taken into consideration when reconfiguring existing classrooms into CTE shops.

Resources

California Department of Education (CDE) Plan Review Process         

California CTE Model Curriculum Standards/ Framework Update

Special Education Facilities

Students with special needs are part of every school community, and their integration with non-disabled peers is one goal of public-school facility design. An individual with a disability shall be provided with the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of the individual in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Evaluating the facilities needs of students should be based on the population of special education students that will be served at each school site. For example, consider the different educational and medical needs of severely disabled, mainstreamed, and special day class students.

Key Planning Considerations

• Do students with special needs who arrive to school on the bus, exit at the same bus loading zone as non-disabled students on campus?
  
• Are special day classrooms (SDC) dispersed around campus? The goal is that students traveling to an SDC are integrating with the general school population, and students with special needs are not isolated to a corner of campus or a corner of the building where SDCs are clustered.
  
• Are students who are wheelchair-bound able to access every part of the school facility, including the stage, cafeteria line, restrooms, all classrooms, play structures, and the administration building? The goal is to remove barriers from thresholds and employ features such as gradual grading, ramps, elevators, and lifts to allow all students the freedom to move about campus without encountering obstacles that require complex or circuitous routes to avoid.
  
• Based on the special education population, does your site need a conference room for parent meetings, and a location for itinerant staff to work such as physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and adaptive physical education (APE) teachers?
  
• Does your site have adequate pull-out spaces and offices to provide pull out services comfortably and confidentially?

Resources

California Department of Education’s Special Education resources page

IDEA Resources for Families:

Parents and Families - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

California Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPA) coordinate services across school districts to ensure students with disabilities receive appropriate support. The SELPA Association provides professional development, legislative advocacy, and technical assistance.

California SELPA Association

Physical Education

Physical education (PE) spaces have distinct needs. In order to meet the standards-based physical education standards laid out in the CDE Physical Education Framework (PDF),  a variety of spaces, both outdoor and indoor are needed.

The CDE School Facilities and Transportation Services Division (SFTSD) requires that school sites provide adequate space for all educational programs, including PE. The CDE Guide to School Site Analysis and Development provides guidance on the amount of space that a school should provide in order to have enough space for teaching PE. The guide illustrates the fields and courts needed for a variety of activities that meet the state framework.

It is advisable for local educational agencies to evaluate their existing schools for adequate PE spaces and to be aware that enrollment increases can sometimes reduce the outdoor black top and grass space. Additionally, middle schools and high schools often have dedicated PE spaces, but elementary PE spaces may also be used for lunch and recess, so the potential for shared-use challenges should be factored into planning.

Additional considerations should be given for special circumstances that would require alternatives to the standard outdoor fields due to weather conditions (rain, snow, and extreme heat), poor outdoor air quality (pollution, smog, and wildfire smoke), or other factors that might make it advantageous to provide indoor activities.

Key Planning Considerations

• Examine the impact of classrooms occupying the blacktop or field areas to evaluate the site’s ability to adequately provide space for physical education.
  
• Does the site have adequate storage for equipment?
  
• What accommodations are provided for students with disabilities or medical needs?

Resources

Physical Education Framework (PDF)

Healthy Children Ready to Learn (PDF)

Physical Education Guidelines: Elementary Schools

Physical Education Guidelines Middle & High School

Makerspaces in a Facilities Master Plan

Makerspaces are dynamic, hands-on learning environments designed to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) activities. In a school district’s FMP, makerspaces should be considered not only as instructional enhancements but as long-term, adaptable spaces that align with the district’s educational goals, facility standards, and capital investment strategies.

A well-planned makerspace can be as effective with simple materials like cardboard, plastic building blocks, and craft supplies as it is with advanced equipment like 3D printers, laser cutters, and robotics. The focus should be on designing a flexible, sustainable space that reflects the needs of the school community and integrates seamlessly into the broader campus plan.

Key Planning Considerations

• Identify existing infrastructure such as power, mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), networks, and any upgrades needed for tools requiring specialized electrical or ventilation systems when converting existing vacant classrooms into maker spaces.
  
• Determine whether the maker space is an extension of the library or a stand-alone instructional area.
  
• Consider acoustic treatments when placed adjacent to classrooms, library, etc.
  
• Evaluate storage needs to support various grade levels and curriculum.

Resources

Makerspaces in California Public Libraries: Fostering Community Creativity (PDF)

The Maker Movement and K-12 Education (PDF)

CDE Fact Sheet: School Facilities and Technology Integration (PDF)

CDE Fact Sheet: STEM Learning Environments, Galt High School BEST Academy (PDF)

Outdoor Learning Environments

Integrating outdoor learning environments into facilities master plans is one strategy to optimize educational opportunities and learning spaces while enhancing the curriculum and local goals. While outdoor learning environments are not required like physical education, special education, and early learning facilities, they can be just as important to include in FMPs. Outdoor learning environments can also provide opportunities to expand learning experiences by repurposing outdoor spaces on existing school sites that may be underutilized such as concrete, asphalt, and fields.

Outdoor learning is a priority for many schools and long-range facilities planning for nature-based flexible spaces is integral to student achievement, health, and wellness. Local school communities often formally embed outdoor learning environments and schoolyard greening in their learning programs and recognize that outdoor spaces for instruction and study have multifunctional uses.

Outdoor Learning Environments guidance from the CDE offers research and resources that further explore best practices for planning and designing inclusive outdoor learning spaces. Including outdoor learning environments in FMPs can help to facilitate a variety of engaging outdoor learning experiences that integrate standards-based knowledge and skills with environmental education and other local objectives.

Key Planning Considerations

• What are the physical characteristics and possible barriers of transforming outdoor space(s) into learning environments?
  
• Will there be spaces for direct instruction, small group, large group, and individual learning?
  
• What is the best way to organize the outdoor space into different outdoor learning areas?
  
• What types of natural elements are present that can be incorporated?
  
• How will the outdoor learning environment enhance and support the curriculum?

Resources

Where Do We Begin? A Toolkit to Move Learning Outdoors , Green Schoolyards America.

Inclusive Design for Outdoor Learning Environments , Green Schoolyards America.

Community School Services

Schools often serve as centers of the community and may provide a variety of supplemental services such as school-based coordinated health centers, after school programs, counseling, family engagement, food distribution, and other supports that promote student well-being. According to the CDE, community school strategies can be an effective approach to mitigate the academic and social impacts of emergencies that affect local communities, improve school responsiveness to student and family needs, and to organize school and community resources to address barriers to learning.

As LEAs create or update FMPs to include spaces for various community services, California’s Whole Child Community Equity Framework may be helpful when considering how facilities can support holistic student and family needs. The CDE LCFF/ Whole Child Resources Map also provides a variety of resources for local educational agencies, schools, and families to serve the needs of the whole child.

Key Planning Considerations

• Co-location: Which public services will benefit students and the community if they are placed together in one location, such as school-based health centers and after school programs?
  
• Multi-purpose spaces: Are there flexible indoor and outdoor spaces that can be easily converted and adapted for a variety of uses?
  
• Designated support spaces: Does the school site have the capacity to provide dedicated student support spaces for speech, resources specialist programs (RSP), school psychologists, counseling, social workers, etc.?
  
• Family and parent engagement: Does the FMP include welcoming and comfortable areas for community collaboration and participation?
  
• Accessibility: Are the community school spaces accessible and aligned with ADA requirements for all students and adults?
  

Resources

CDE LCFF/ Whole Child Resources Map

Schools As Centers of Community Improve Learning, CDE Fact Sheet (PDF)

California Community Schools Partnership Program

Conclusion

While specific educational programs may vary at each school site, long range facilities planning usually includes providing flexible learning environments (PDF) and specific architectural designs, equipment, technology, accessibility, and more. Community engagement is a common thread in planning for unique educational programs, no matter what the goals and objectives are for each school. To optimize teaching and learning and to maximize resources and capital investments, the inclusion of educational programs with specialized facility needs is essential in the development of long-range facilities master plans.