Preschool Supply Closet
Problems:
This very large supply closet had huge potential to help serve the childcare employees very well. However, with heavy use and no real system of organization, the closet was completely cluttered and unsafe for the few children who did happen to use the closet. Teachers would literally throw things into the closet if they couldn’t find a clean spot for the item being returned. If there was an clear space on top of a bookcase or on a hook, it was quickly covered or utilized, without any real thought to where the item belonged. Another issue with this project was a complete lack of funds to upgrade shelving, containers, etc. We needed to reuse everything we could.
Solutions:
Purged and sorted all items in the closet, removing broken/worn toys or games with missing pieces. Sorted the toys into categories based on the teachers’ needs, containers required, and space limitations. We actually were able to remove extra bookcases that were not very practical, and at the same time as reducing the footprint of the furniture in the closet, we reduced the tempting empty surface area. Created zones within the closet to separate the kids’ items from the teaching supplies and the staff’s personal belongings. We drew a “line in the sand”, where it was very clearly marked which side of the closet belonged to the kids and which side belonged to the staff. Containerized the toys and supplies using containers found while sorting, identifying them with easy-to-read labels.
