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Importance of Creating a Quality Classroom Environment for Infants and Toddlers

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Importance of Creating a Quality Classroom Environment for Infants and Toddlers

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A well-designed environment is safe for infants and toddlers and also it supports their emotional well-being, stimulates their senses, and challenges their motor skills. A quality design aims to create a classroom that is highly functional, aesthetically attractive, age-appropriate, child-directed, and teacher-supported. A well-designed group care environment promotes children’s individual and social development. The setting, layout, and equipment all give infants many opportunities to challenge themselves through seeing, touching, feeling, and moving. In surroundings that are safe to explore freely, infants learn to map their environment cognitively, to manipulate it, and to master it. We call this kind of an appropriate and challenging environment a ‘Landscape for Learning’.

A developmentally designed environment provides choices for children and supports self-directed learning. It also supports the caregiver-child relationship.

“…the child needs a safe world where he is encouraged to venture, rewarded for venturing his own acts, and against distraction or premature interference… He needs a world rich with opportunities to see, hear, feel, touch, and move… The child needs a setting where the world is literally at his fingertips to safely explore and enjoy” – Jim Greenman-

“A good infant/toddler program is distinctly different from a program designed for 3-5year old. Group care… requires both careful planning informed by knowledge of development in the earliest years, and the flexibility to respond to the individual needs of each child and family. The key to quality care is the quality of relationships” – Zero to Three-

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Developmental Milestones and the EYLF/NQS 3 to 5 years n.d., viewed 27 October 2020, <https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/DevelopmentalMilestonesEYLFandNQS.pdf >.

Infant and Toddler Spaces, Design for a quality classroom 2011, viewed 27 October 2020, <https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/d2l/le/content/826636/viewContent/5292729/View>.

Jordan. A, n.d., John Dewey on Eucation: Impact & Theory, viewed 29 October 2020, <https://study.com/academy/lesson/john-dewey-on-education-impact-theory.html>.

Nolan, A & Raban, B, 2015, Theories into practice: understanding and rethinking our work with young children and the EYLF, Teaching solutions, Albert Park, Australia.

The Indoor Environment: Designing and Organizing | VLS n.d., viewed 28 October 2020, <https://www.virtuallabschool.org/infant-toddler/learning-environments/lesson-2>.

Torelli, L & Durrett, C, 2018, Landscape For Learning: The Impact Of Classroom Design On Infants And Toddlers. [online] Earlychildhoodnews.com. Available at: <http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=238> [Accessed 29 October 2020].

Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framewrk 2016, viewed 9 October 2020, <https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf>.

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According to the developmental milestones, toddlers use their bodies to explore the world around them and they develop many skills. In our center we have pay more attention on each individual child’s development and have provided children with numerous chances for movement. Children could choose and engage in different activities according to their interest. John Dewey mention this in his Experimental learning theory stating that human beings learn through “hands-on” approach and educators emphasize the need of learning by doing (Jordan. A, n.d).

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Children become confident and involved learners with the warmth and support of others around them (Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework 2016). Our center offers children a relaxing and a home like environment to learn and develop their skills freely. We use soft natural colors on walls, fresh air and natural light, family photos of children to make them feel comfortable in the space.

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During Early Childhood, children develop their physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. To accomplish the VEYLDF outcome of children have a strong sense of well-being, our center is designed separating diapering and toileting areas from food preparation areas, having good plumbing to allow children and caregivers to wash hands regularly, all the surface are made to clean easily and heat/light/ventilations are also made concentrating on children’s health (Infant and Toddler Spaces, Design for a quality classroom 2011)

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This is the major concern area. According to Piagetian perspective, children actively construct knowledge when they manipulate and explore the world around them (Nolan & Raban, 2015). Therefore we designed this place for children with making sure that the floors are non-slippery, equipment is developmentally appropriated & made of non-toxic materials as well as the tables/shelves are made with round corners (Infant and Toddler Spaces, Design for a quality classroom 2011).

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The Most Important Points of Considerations we used when creating our classroom

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The Most Important Points of Considerations we used when creating our classroom