W. Va. Code R. § 126-28-13

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section 126-28-13 - Environmental Design

13.1. Each WV Pre-K classroom shall provide a minimum of 35 square feet per child of usable classroom space. A WV Pre-K program shall not provide activity space in a basement area unless the basement area is approved by the State Fire Marshal.

13.2. The WV Pre-K program shall provide one flush toilet and one lavatory per 15 children, excluding children in diapers who are not receiving toilet training. Toilets will be easily accessible to the children and provisions must be made so that children have adequate supervision during toileting.

13.3. A WV Pre-K classroom shall be designed and equipped as a learning environment that supports the curricular framework and allows children of all abilities to make choices, discover, explore, and solve problems; while

13.3.a. assuring children's health and safety;

13.3.b. clearly defining learning centers and incorporating them into the classroom;

13.3.c. organizing and labeling materials and equipment and making them accessible to all children;

13.3.d. incorporating non-stereotypical images in all elements of the environment;

13.3.e. supplying a sufficient quantity and variety of appropriate materials;

13.3.f. rotating the availability of materials;

13.3.g. supporting a child's needs for privacy and a safe place to be alone; and

13.3.h. introducing children to the unfamiliar.

13.4. A WV Pre-K classroom shall provide equipment and materials for indoor activities that are clearly organized within activity areas that support programming goals and allow for adequate supervision. Program components must include learning centers, incorporated within the classroom, designed to support literacy, early numeracy, and language, such as blocks and construction, books, manipulative materials, science and nature, writing materials, dramatic play and role playing, physical activity, art, and music.

13.5. A WV Pre-K program shall provide an outdoor activity area that includes a minimum of 75 square feet of space per child, or if the outdoor play area has less than that, a WV Pre-K program shall establish an outdoor play schedule for rotating groups of children to meet the minimum space requirement and to ensure that each child has an opportunity to play outdoors each day, weather permitting.

13.6. Outdoor activity shall be considered an extension of the classroom. Daily outdoor activity shall support the implementation of the approved WV Pre-K curriculum and Policy 2520.15. A WV Pre-K classroom shall provide a minimum of one hour of outdoor activity daily as a part of the curriculum, weather permitting. A combination of indoor and/or outdoor time may be utilized when weather conditions are not conducive to outdoor gross motor activity.

13.7. A WV Pre-K program shall ensure that the outdoor play area for a child under school age:

13.7.a. is enclosed on all sides by a natural barrier or secure fence that is at least four feet high with a bottom edge that is less than three and one-half inches from the ground;

13.7.b. if it has a fence, the fence has no openings greater than three and one-half inches;

13.7.c. if it has a natural barrier, the barrier has the strength and density to prevent humans and animals from entering or exiting the playground;

13.7.d. if it is attached to a building, the barrier or fence provides at least two exits from the play area, including one exit that is at a distance from the building;

13.7.e. when it has an exit that does not lead directly indoors, it is protected by a gate equipped with a closure mechanism that is out of the reach of a small child and prevents the child from leaving the play area, but can be easily opened by an adult; and

13.7.f. has age appropriate equipment to support the curriculum and the children's development.

W. Va. Code R. § 126-28-13