One of the aspects of starting a home child care or preschool that can be the most intimidating is transforming your home into a nurturing and enriching learning environment. From home child care setup and design to materials to keeping it all within a budget, it can be a challenge to successfully convert your home into a learning space.

We often hear concerns like…

“I live in a small apartment and can’t visualize how it could be a classroom”

“I don’t understand how I could make my living room function as both a living space for my family and a classroom”

and

“I want to do most of my program outside but I’m not sure how”

So in this post, we’ll address all of these concerns. You’ll also get to peek inside three Wonderschool partners’ homes for setup inspiration.

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Preschool setup ideas for homes of all shapes and sizes

You can turn your home into a preschool or child care no matter the shape or size. Whether you live in an apartment or single family home, there are options for your space.

Separate the space into interest areas

You’ll want to start by separating your space into different interest areas. For example, we recommend starting with a block construction corner, dramatic/symbolic play corner, manipulative corner, and child sanctuary/literacy library.

You can use rugs and shelving or storage units to separate the spaces.

The literacy library corner in Little Scholars Preschool

Storage

Storage is key to saving space and staying organized in your in-home child care. Many teachers choose to invest in movable furniture, like shelving with baskets.

Baskets give children easy access to toys and materials. They also make cleanup easy. Baskets can be placed in hidden areas like under a side table, but are still accessible when you need them.

Karen, the Owner and Head Teacher of Creative Journeys Wonderschool in Tustin, California spent her entire career working in large center-based preschools before deciding to start her own Reggio-inspired in-home program.

Karen lives in a two-bedroom apartment. Her space is smaller than any space she has ever had for a classroom before but she has done an incredible job of creating an enriching environment in her home.

She converted her living room into a learning environment using storage units with removable baskets:

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Ottomans with built-in storage are also a great item of furniture for an in-home child care program. You can store materials inside and use the ottoman for kicking back on the sofa during off-hours.

Lastly, you can keep the space uncluttered by storing extra toys and art materials in a separate closet and switching materials out every week or two. This tactic also keeps classroom projects exciting for the kids, as they will be inspired by new materials every week or so.

Create a flexible space for teaching AND living

While some in-home preschool teachers have an extra unused space in their home to completely dedicate to their program, many use a space that doubles as their own living area.

So how can you incorporate both into one space?

Take care of your body and your needs

It’s important to be sure you have a comfortable adult-sized chair for yourself. Even if you need to replace a large couch with something smaller to conserve space, make sure you bring in something for you so you aren’t sitting in a low chair all day.

Linda, the Owner and Head Teacher of Little Scholars Preschool in Pleasanton, California, is an experienced educator but was unsure about starting her own program because she lives in an apartment.

When she converted her living room into a classroom, she switched out a large sectional sofa for a smaller couch she and her family can still use during off-hours.

Her family is also able to use the activity table as a coffee table when school isn’t in session:

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After:

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Maintain your personal or home’s style with muted colors and natural textures

You don’t have to sacrifice your personal style just because you’re using the space as a child care. You don’t have to use bright colors when you start an in-home preschool; you can keep your living space muted in color with natural textures that match the rest of your home.

If you decorate with neutral colors, the color in the room will come from the children and their movement instead of from the room itself.

Karen from Creative Journeys Wonderschool kept her living space neutral in decor. She used natural textures like wood throughout the space.

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Create clear boundaries

Lastly, when thinking about the room set up for your in-home preschool or child care, remember you can keep certain areas of your home off-limits. This will allow you to have some privacy and space for yourself and your family.

If you don’t have doors you can close, try hanging a curtain or using a baby gate to mark off-limits areas from the main play spaces.

You can use a different entrance from the front door as your family child care entryway. This allows for privacy for your family or other visitors who come by during non-school hours.

Have a look at the Creative Journey’s entryway:

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Design an outdoor-based environment for your in-home program

If you want to run most of your program outdoors, you can either take the kids to a nearby park or use your own back or front yard.