Head Start of Yamhill County Green Building

HSYC Facility Successes

Our guidelines to establish “healthy” standards for a built environment include:

(1) energy efficiency

(2) indoor environmental quality

(3) materials & resources

(4) water efficiency

(5) site design

With these guidelines in mind, the first "Green" and healthy Head Start facility was constructed in Dayton, Oregon in 2001. Staff and families contributed ideas to the design and a local builder of energy-efficient buildings, Ted Nickel, was engaged in its construction. Some building features which led to nearly 50% in saved energy costs were considered “smart” building and didn't necessarily add to construction costs. These include: conditioned crawl space for warm floors and energy efficiency; building orientation to capture solar heat; continuous air circulation to prevent heat stratification. Other features included the use of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints; lacquered trim and pre-finished flooring to eliminate off-gases; “healthy” area rugs rather than wall-to-wall carpet in order to reduce allergens such as dust mites.

Because of the success with the first building, Sheridan was built on the same plan with "continuous improvements" being the standard. And, the current "under construction" center in Newberg is following the same pattern.