The Center for Child Development facility on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa was opened in 1990. The facility includes three classrooms, a playground, and a room called "the Exploratorium." The exploratorium is 2,304 square feet in size and contains three built-in areas: a kitchenette, a water/science/arts center, and an amphitheater with seating. It is designed to meet two philosophical goals. The first goal is to use the Piagetian theory of how children learn; in other words, to take advantage of the child's natural inclination to explore an environment that is rich in resources. The second goal is to focus on all the arts. The exploratorium functions as: (1) a sociodramatic play area; (2) a construction center; (3) an area that provides an opportunity for sharing many materials; (4) an area where teachers can observe children closely; (5) an area where university students can receive training in working with children in a special setting; and (6) an area with aesthetic appeal. The organization of the center involves three homebase classrooms. Groups of children from each classroom rotate their use of the exploratorium, and this alleviates classroom overcrowding. A reference list of eight items and a floor plan of the center are included. (BC)