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Children are often more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of chemical pollutants because they are growing and developing rapidly. In some cases, childhood exposure to toxins can cause serious health damage to an individual later on in life. Use the See Your State's Resources feature on this website to see inspection reports of child care providers you are considering. These reports provide valuable information about the quality of child care programs. Check them before you select a program and regularly while your child is enrolled.
For example, surfaces that are coarse, uneven, or grainy when contrasted with smooth or soft surfaces encourage children to understand the differences between soft and hard, light and heavy, smooth and rough. Patterns on rugs may be abstract, geometric, floral, or symbolic. They are much more attractive to both children and adults when they are the kind of patterns found on rugs in a home.
The Indoor Environment: Designing and Organizing
Hallways and other circulation areas that are wider than typical corridors offer found space for play or parent-staff conversations or staff breaks. Chair rails or other types of molding can be used to define sleeping areas for infants and toddlers. Provide the knowledge and skills to help families recognize that the most important part of their children’s environment is the relationships they grow together.
They do learning activities and play activities with the kids. I am eternally grateful to the ladies as well as Magda’s family for opening up their lives and home to us. I tried three other local daycares before this one and their quality of care just didn’t compare to this daycare. Consider simple additions, such as displaying family photos, class photos, children’s art/projects, and a welcome sign.
Engaging Environments
Find ways to be reflective and respectful of the cultures your families come from. Rather than purchasing toys that represent world cultures, use textiles and fabrics common to the cultures of the families your program serves. Ask families to provide you with the empty food containers (cereal boxes, etc.) they use; cover these with contact paper and place them in the “housekeeping area” so that the children’s playthings are the items they see at home. Pictures of families- include pictures of the children and their families within your environment. Since it is your home, be sure to include your family as well.
Strategically placing books relevant to children’s current interests around the room can change how they engage in the space. For example, offering a book on robots next to a bin of recycled materials can invite the construction of creative robotic structures. Both of my kids are beyond their age level of learning and a lot of it has come from home environment child care. I love the environment of the in home child care because there is more one on one time spent with the children to help them learn. My kids were always coming back home surprising me with words they learned in Spanish they both Excel in numbers shapes and talking. Identify and cut off “runways.” Long, narrow spaces — including open hallways and long aisles in the classroom — encourage running.
Creating Homelike Environments
Display beautiful items from nature in the inside environment (especially those the children discovered!) such as sea shells, leaves, flowers, rocks, interesting sticks, and plants. The children begin to see the adult’s respect and awe for natural materials, and also show a sense of honoring and caring for something. It is also in these group times that children are instilled with a sense of responsibility to care for each other and for the environment. Have the children, along with the adults, think of rules or “living ideas” for the group.
If there is something that can be changed to better support the learning needs of any child, it should be brought to the attention of the program staff. Also see the Learn attachment that provides some adaptive equipment and materials as well as environmental supports that may be useful for some children with developmental disabilities. As school-age staff members, it is our job to make sure the indoor environment is thoughtfully designed and materials for play are well organized. This lesson highlights how to design your indoor environment for group activities, privacy, storage, and display, with attention to all learners. It introduces design elements that promote a sense of comfort and invite exploration and engagement.
Encouraging safe exploration is an important job for child care providers. They move quickly, put things in their mouths, drop or throw things, and love to climb and hide. But setting up an environment where you spend all day saying “Don’t touch this!
This lesson also examines how to organize materials for independence, easy use, and learning. The reception area offers an opportunity to convey to parents, children, staff, and visitors that they are welcome. It should be inviting—reminding one of a home’s entry rather than an office lobby. It is a place where adults can obtain information, visit with each other, or have a cup of coffee.
When you are greeted warmly, it conveys a positive atmosphere; someone cares that you are there. Apply this to children by greeting them by name and welcoming them at eye level (with a smile!). Adults caring for children can set the emotional tone of the room. If adults are positive, caring, and attentive, the environment in the room will begin to reflect this. Every classroom is equipped with the age-appropriate elements necessary to successfully reinforce teachers’ skills. They provide a consistent environment so every child can enjoy his/her own individual program without any interference from other classrooms, and ensure each specific program’s goals and objectives are met.
This also provides each family with the opportunity to share learning goals, values, and experiences that may have made an impact on their child’s development . You may need to alter the physical environment with ramps, chairs, and tables that appropriately accommodate the needs and equipment for children with physical disabilities. To help children identify what they feel, the cool down space can also include pictures of children expressing different emotions, and pictures and words about different calming strategies (e.g., “Take deep breaths”). It can also be helpful to provide multiple visual cues for how to use spaces and materials. You may want to create a scaled floor plan of your home and think about where activities may take place. Focus on safety first and be sure you can always see all the children in your care.
Identify features of the family child care environment that help children feel secure, welcome, and comfortable. Recognize that children and youth spend a lot of time in your program, and everybody needs a break sometimes. Provide a variety of ways that children can take a little time for themselves; a quiet book area, a computer center, or the art area can all provide a brief break from the busy, social day. This can be especially important to some children with special needs. Your effort to create a relaxing, homelike environment is critical.
In some cultures, too much or too little personal space may make a child feel uncomfortable and could cause unwanted behaviors (Kaiser, B. & Rasminsky, J., 2020). Research tells us that children learn best in environments where they can have secure relationships with caring and responsive adults, where they feel safe, and where they feel free to explore and learn. A well-arranged family child care environment can help you meet children’s needs during play and routines. This lesson highlights the importance of the environment and provides an overview of what to consider when creating and maintaining a developmentally appropriate environment for a mixed-age group of children. Second, we want children to learn to use signs and symbols in the environment to support their independence. One way we help them do this is by carefully labeling objects or the places the objects belong.
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Outdoorgarden plotsoffer children an opportunity to plant, cultivate, and harvest food for snacks and special cooking activities. Flower beds not only beautify the play yard, they also provide fresh flowers for the table at meal times. Placing large and small green and flowering non-toxicplantsin classrooms, entry areas, hallways, and on window sills or shelving out of reach of infants and toddlers adds color to the environment.
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