Space & Furnishings Play, Learning, Relaxation & Comfort

Indoor Space  General “free movement” of children.  Some “open” space for active play.  Some “quiet” space for privacy & relaxation.

Furnishings for Routine Care  Basic Furnishings for Routine Care  Personal space for each child (Cubbies).  Enough low-open shelves for independent access.  Enough tables for several activities to go on at the same time.  Child-Sized Furnishings  At least 75% of the children can sit with their feet “touching” the floor and elbows resting on the table.

Furnishings for Play & Learning  Sturdy  Wood shelving; chairs and tables in good repair (no wobbling).  Convenient  Materials are easily accessible to the children.  Cubbies are present to store children’s personal belongings.  Furnishings to Enhance Play & Learning  Art easel, sand table, wood- working bench. Furnishings SturdyConvenient Enhanced Play & Learning Child-Sized Personal Storage

Furnishings for Relaxation & Comfort  Cozy Areas  A “cozy” area means a substantial amount of softness is provided in at least one place for the children. The soft furnishings in the cozy area must allow a child to completely escape the hardness of the typical early childhood classroom.  Soft Furnishings  At least “two” different types of soft furnishings must be available to score in this category (example: rugs and beanbags, or soft couches and pillows).  Soft Toys  “Some” soft toys are 3-10 stuffed animals, soft felt dolls and/or soft-head puppets, for example, and must be accessible to children independently (not stored out of reach, on top of shelves, or covered bins, etc.).

Cozy Areas  One soft thing, in itself, does not create a cozy area. Thus, a padded chair, one beanbag, a few small pillows or a carpeted corner by itself is not enough.  Cozy area is not used for active physical activity. Quiet and Active areas should not overlap - cozy area should not be located too close to areas used for traffic and/or active play (blocks, dramatic play, etc.).  The cozy area must be accessible to children for a substantial portion of the day. (“substantial portion” = 1/3 of the school day - 2 hrs for a full-day (6 hour) program and at least 50 minutes for a 2.5 hour, or half-day program).

Soft Furnishings & Soft Toys  Soft furnishings include: rugs, mats, soft couches, padded chairs, beanbags, pillows, mattresses and cushions.  Soft toys include: cloth puppets, stuffed animals, soft dolls.  Accessible to Children  The soft furnishings and toys must be within the children’s reach and allowed to use the soft furnishings to sit, work, play and lounge.

Room Arrangement  The arrangement used by children in a classroom affects how well the staff can supervise the children to protect their health and safety, as well as to enhance their learning.  The arrangement of furniture and materials in a room also organizes the play space for children.  Activities should be organized in a number of “interest centers.”

Supervision & Sufficient Space  Visual supervision at all time – means the staff can see and monitor all the children as they play in the indoor space.  If furnishings, such as high toy shelves or hanging curtains or fabric, are placed so that they obstruct the view of the staff, thus creating a “blind spot,” effective supervision can be difficult.  Sufficient Space means enough space for several activities to go on at the same time.  Provide a variety of activities simultaneously so the children have choices.

Accessibility  Materials should be accessible and organized for independent use by the children.  Stored on low-open shelves.  If stored in containers, they should be clearly labeled with pictures of what is inside.  Containers should be easy to open and close.  Shelving should have “child- friendly” labels, telling them where materials belong; such as an outline for block storage or hooks and picture-word labels for costume storage in dramatic play.

Interest Centers  A sign naming an area is a great effort for labeling and is an important aspect for optimal room design, (example: “block area” “art center”), but does not necessarily mean that the labeled space meets the requirements of a defined interest center.  Interest areas should be clearly defined and separated from any other activity or interest center; with an ample supply of related materials and no other materials from any other interest center.

Interest Centers (cont.)  A clearly defined interest center should contain:  Only related materials that simulate and support a specific type of play (example: the blocks area should contain blocks and building materials, as well as accessories including people and vehicles, street signs, books on buildings, cars, etc. and drawing materials, so that children can draw what they have made, etc.).  Accessible storage for the materials offered in the interest center.  Low-Open shelves.  Easy-Open and clear containers with labels.  Picture word labels for easy access and clean-up.

Interest Centers (cont.)  At least 3 clearly defined and fully equipped interest centers for a level “5” score and at least 5 centers for a level “7.”  Most activities should not be interrupted.  The room is arranged for “optimum” traffic flow, and children “walk around” rather than through most activities.  Quiet and Active centers do not overlap or interfere with one another.

Space for Privacy  A “space for privacy” is a designated space for a child to temporarily escape the pressure of whole group life.  A privacy space is limited to one or two children, such as a computer with one or two chairs, or a small table with one or two chairs.  Space for privacy is permitted and can also be found or created spontaneously by children.

Space for Privacy (cont.)  Space for privacy is permitted.  Children are allowed to create or go to a privacy space, when they need to escape general “group” life.  Accessible for a “substantial portion of the day.”  At scoring level “7” – there needs to be more than one space for privacy that the staff has created; in addition, this indicator requires that the staff set up quiet, individual activities in the private spaces, away from the general group activities.

Child-Related Display  To score well in this category, Individualized, Child-Inspired and Child-Created work/art/projects must dominate the décor of the classroom.  Room display is meaningful and age appropriate.  For example: If over 50% of the children are at the young 3 age, and if over 50% of the room décor is numbers and letters, the display materials would be considered inappropriate because most of the children would not know what the number and letter symbols meant.  Display relates closely to current activities and reflects the children in the classroom.  Current: obviously related to some theme or interest.  Reflects the children on which the group has been focusing: children can see some representation in the display of themselves; photos, families, pets, self-portraits.  Most of the room display is on the child’s eye level.

Child-Related Display (cont.)  Most of the display means that 50% or more is work done by the children.  Individualized children’s work predominates.  To be considered individualized work means that each child has selected the subject and/or media and has carried out the work in his or her own creative way. Thus, individualized products look quite different from one another. Projects where children follow a teacher’s example and little creativity is allowed are not considered individualized work. Try to eliminate the use of pre-cut shapes.  Displayed at children’s eye level.  Make sure the Alphabet is not posted near the ceiling – children cannot be expected to look up to the top of the wall to see displayed materials.  Three-Dimensional Artwork is on display.  This is work that has height, width and depth: clay or play dough sculptures. Gluing things to a flat surface, such as Styrofoam “peanuts” or small pieces of wood to cardboard, is a two-dimensional medium.

Summary  Indoor Space  Ample space for furnishings and the general “free movement” of the children.  Furnishings for play, learning, relaxation and comfort.  Child-sized furnishings.  Cozy areas with ample and accessible soft furnishings and soft toys.  Low-open shelving, with clear picture-word labeling so the children can access materials independently.  Arrangement  At least 3 to 5 different and clearly defined interest centers.  Space for Privacy  At least one (two for level “7” scoring) quiet area(s) set up for children to escape “group” life, equipped with some kind of quiet activity.  Child-Related Display  Age appropriate.  Relates closely to current activities and the children of the classroom.  Most of the display is at the children’s eye level.  Most of the room display is done by the children and reflects individualized work.  Some three-dimensional child-created work is on display.