Safe Havens
Protect your congregation's children with these design tips

By Brian Cassidy, AIA

Although denial runs rampant, there are many safety threats to consider when planning your campus, especially when it comes to children's areas. Preventing physical injury, illness, molestation and kidnapping--not to mention shielding your church from legal action--requires safety-conscious design and strict policies to support it. 

If you were a first-time visitor to the United States these days, daily news coverage might lead you to believe that our country is one of the most dangerous places in the world for children. Although the violations the media covers are unpleasant, they nevertheless pose serious threats to ministry. And even if these incidences are sensationalized, they show no signs of going away. Children should be safe the moment they arrive on your property, and remain that way until they leave again. To make it a reality, you'll need to scrutinize parking areas, buildings, classrooms and playgrounds. 

Traffic flow and parking 
Driveways and sidewalks that serve as entry points to your campus should be highly visible; this way, the flow of traffic separates vehicles and people. Drop-off lanes should be designed for a right-hand deposit so children can step directly onto the sidewalk. 

If your church has a day school, administrative offices should provide easy views of main drop-off areas and entry points, enabling school leaders to act as "sentries" in emergencies.
Sidewalks should have "non-slip" surfaces and slope gently with no sharp edges. In cold climates, it is a good idea to install heating elements underneath to minimize ice buildup in high-traffic pedestrian areas and in shaded spots. 

Campus-wide, potentially dangerous activities such as skateboarding should be bannded. Any sloping site will attract skaters, but sensible design can mitigate the appeal. Avoid low walls and handrails, for example, or install metal separating devices. These steps will discourage boarding activities. 
Last but not least, all parking areas and sidewalks should be well illuminated to avoid slips and falls. Parking lots should be free of concealed spaces where attackers could hide. Landscaping should feature no thorny or poisonous plants, and trees should be trimmed to discourage climbing and/or gaining roof access. 

Hallways, kitchens and emergency planning
Once children are inside your buildings, hallway circulation systems can promote safety. Designated meeting spaces and classrooms should be easy to locate, with younger children's rooms closest to the administrative offices and designed for minimal access. Many churches are also installing video systems to discourage vandalism and inappropriate behavior.

Although some churches use their non-profit status as a shield, in the interest of safety, all food preparation areas should meet strict building and health codes. This is especially important regarding cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing and maintenance. No church wants to develop a reputation for spreading food poisoning--or something worse. 

As required of most school districts, your church should have a risk-management procedure in place in the event of a lockdown. Such a plan is critical for in public assembly occupancies where threats include intruders, fires, natural disasters and severe weather. Staff and teachers should rehearse these procedures several times a year and be able to lock down the facilities in minutes, checking to see that all children and adults are accounted for.

Classrooms and restrooms 
Children's classrooms should contain to-scale furniture, and doorways should allow teachers to monitor all movement in and out of the room. "Dutch" doors are especially useful in nursery applications since they let people see in but prevent children from crawling or walking out. 

If your campus is large, restrict hallways so that only children and their parents/guardians have access to play areas and classrooms during school or nursery hours. This can be done with a hall monitor and/or a security booth where children are matched with their parents via identification tags, beepers or hand-stamp codes. 

Where to put the children's restroom is always a controversial issue. Ideally (if budget allows), bathrooms for the youngest children should be placed in the classroom to keep them from wandering the hallways or needing an escort all the time. 

To minimize bacteria growth, floors in children's classrooms should be easy to clean and have soft surfaces that minimize scrapes and bruises. Countertops and furniture should have rounded edges and be easy to clean and disinfect daily. 

If your classrooms feature sinks, check your local building codes regarding the use of hot water. Some jurisdictions require it for hygienic reasons whereas others prohibit its use altogether. 

Play areas
Playground safety begins with location. Many churches situate play areas close to busy streets for high visibility since a quality playground can attract younger families with children. Highly visible playgrounds can also, however, be dangerous places. To separate children from strangers, surround playgrounds with high-quality fencing or walls. At minimum, these enclosures should be 6 feet high to discourage climbing.

Another good idea is to make sure playgrounds have a single entry point, giving monitors full control of who comes in. Also be sure that adequate lighting is incorporated, even if play areas are not intended for use after dark. 

When buying playground equipment, for safety's sake, make sure each piece is age-appropriate. It is also a good idea to separate younger children from older ones. (Remember when you were in kindergarten? A sixth-grader looked like a giant!) 

Heavy, plastic play equipment is your best bet since it does not splinter and the finish lasts for years. Wood products, on the other hand, tend to deteriorate quickly and require annual maintenance. Ground materials beneath the equipment should be soft to minimize scrapes, bruises and broken bones. 
A drinking fountain should be provided within the play area for convenience and so supervisors and children will not have to leave the play area unattended. For these same reasons, consider having a restroom nearby.

Making your campus child-safe means more than preventing playtime injuries. Other mishaps can and do occur, and these are equally important to neutralize. Good design lowers the odds of an accident happening and lets you focus on programs, not problems.

Brian Cassidy, AIA is the president of CCBG Architects with offices in Phoenix and San Diego. CCBG specializes in planning and designing religious campuses. For more information, log on to www.ccbg-arch.com .