Greener Classrooms, Smarter Kids: World Bank’s Vision for Early Learning Environments

The World Bank’s guidance note outlines how to design and build environmentally sustainable, play-based early learning spaces that enhance child development and educational quality. It emphasizes climate resilience, community participation, and cost-effective, flexible infrastructure tailored to young learners' needs.

The World Bank’s guidance note Designing and Building Environmentally Sustainable, Play-based Early Learning Spaces is a detailed roadmap for teams supporting early childhood education infrastructure. Developed by Anita Gurgel and Diego Ambasz with contributions from the World Bank Education Practice Group, the note is grounded in global evidence and expert consultation. It draws heavily on research from institutions like the Global Program for Safer Schools (GPSS), the Education and Climate Thematic Group, the LEGO Foundation, the University of Oxford, UNOPS, UNEP, and the University of New Hampshire. With early learning becoming a policy priority for many governments, especially in low- and middle-income countries, the guidance aims to help countries deliver learning environments that nurture young children’s development while embracing climate resilience and sustainability.

Why Physical Spaces Matter in Early Childhood Education

The guidance is underpinned by compelling research that links physical environments to educational outcomes. Landmark studies by Peter Barrett and others have shown that the physical learning environment (PLE) can account for as much as 16 percent of the variation in student performance. While this figure is based on data from children aged five and above, similar effects are expected for pre-primary learners. High-quality environments make children feel safe, inspired, and engaged. They help young learners interact, explore, and make sense of the world, especially when those environments are play-based, flexible, and inclusive. The guidance argues that well-designed ECCE infrastructure is more than a container for education; it is the third teacher, shaping how children learn and grow.

From Vision to Construction: A Step-by-Step Framework

The note structures its recommendations around four critical phases of infrastructure development: preparation and planning, design, construction, and operations and maintenance. In the preparation phase, country teams assess current infrastructure, identify gaps, and plan future investments based on demographic trends, legal standards, and environmental risks. Governments are encouraged to develop a design brief, a foundational planning document that outlines the scope, vision, and specifications for the facilities. This phase also requires early engagement with stakeholders, including ministries, local authorities, and communities, to ensure buy-in and relevance.

Design, perhaps the most transformational stage, intersects pedagogical goals and spatial planning. The guidance emphasizes the importance of spatial flexibility, natural ventilation, sustainable materials, and indoor-outdoor integration. Compact building typologies are preferred for efficiency, while classrooms should be equipped with age-appropriate, movable furniture and natural materials to foster creativity and comfort. Outdoor spaces, often overlooked are vital. Gardens, shaded verandas, and nature-based play zones are highlighted as affordable and enriching alternatives to traditional playgrounds. External learning spaces not only offer health and environmental benefits but also stimulate curiosity and motor development.

In the construction phase, countries decide on building methods from conventional brick-and-mortar to prefabricated or off-site approaches. The note encourages innovation, such as the use of recycled shipping containers, which have been successfully implemented in South Africa, Australia, and the United States. Procurement practices must be transparent and efficient, and construction supervision is critical to avoid delays or quality issues. The guidance also stresses the need for construction approaches that minimize waste, reduce carbon emissions, and optimize energy and water use.

Sustainability Beyond Bricks and Mortar

What distinguishes this guidance from traditional infrastructure manuals is its strong focus on environmental sustainability. The document promotes green design principles throughout the project lifecycle, energy and water efficiency, sustainable material sourcing, and climate adaptation strategies are essential. Tools like the EDGE certification from IFC, LEED, and CHPS are recommended for benchmarking and improving sustainability standards. The note makes a strong case that early learning centers can serve as a bridge between education and environmental action. For instance, planting trees, creating vegetable gardens, using solar panels, and harvesting rainwater can simultaneously lower emissions, build climate resilience, and enrich the learning experience.

Sustainability also extends into daily operations. The guidance urges project teams to ensure that maintenance is not an afterthought. Buildings must be maintained to preserve their learning and environmental performance. Teachers and principals are also critical to this process; they need training in spatial organization, energy management, and flexible pedagogy to truly bring play-based, sustainable learning to life. A well-designed classroom, if misused or poorly maintained, may fail to deliver on its potential.

Communities, Creativity, and Cost-Effective Design

Community participation is another central theme. The document illustrates how local engagement in site selection, design, and even construction can improve outcomes and reduce costs. Examples from Denmark, Germany, Peru, and Chile showcase participatory design methods that bring together architects, educators, and families. Organizations like Play360 and Patio Vivo demonstrate how playgrounds and learning spaces can be built using locally sourced materials with community labor, cutting costs while fostering local ownership.

Affordability remains a key challenge, especially in resource-constrained contexts. The note offers a range of low-cost, high-impact strategies from using local materials and modular design to staged construction and retrofitting. It encourages smart investments in flexible furniture and external learning spaces, and highlights the value of benchmarking costs across sectors to identify savings. As one example, a 50 percent increase in usable classroom space per child was achieved in Russia by adjusting design during the construction permit phase, underscoring how small changes can yield large returns.

In essence, this guidance reimagines what ECCE infrastructure can be. It blends child-centered pedagogy with environmental consciousness, technical rigor with creative problem-solving. More than just constructing buildings, it lays the groundwork for a generation of early learners to grow in spaces that are playful, inclusive, green, and future-ready.