Family Child Care Environments

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Planning for Children

In many ways, your home is a natural environment for learning. You have soft and safe places for children to explore, you have plants growing in the living room that the children help you care for, you have books and magazines to look through. Your kitchen is filled with pots and pans that children can bang together for music or use for a cooking activity. The way you arrange space for children can make it easier for them to learn, to get along with one another and to become independent. The arrangement of your child care environment can also make things easier for you.

It has been said that the careful arrangement of the environment is like having another adult to help you with the children. Good environments encourage positive behavior. We are all affected by our environment. Think about how you feel and act in a place that is over crowded, hot and stuffy, poorly lit and generally disorganized. You probably feel uncomfortable, frustrated and wish you were somewhere else. The same feelings hold true for children. When their environment is overcrowded, uncomfortable, hard to maneuver in, and restrictive, children become frustrated, upset and likely to act out.

One of the best ways to begin to create your child care environment is to look at it from a “kid’s eye view.” Get down on your hands and knees and look at your space from that angle. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How does this space make me feel? Is it warm and welcoming or is it too crowded and confusing? Can I see interesting books, posters and pictures and toys at this level or do I see mostly furniture legs and things that are not appropriate for a child to play with?
• How does the toy storage look? Can I easily see individual toys or are they all tossed together in a toy box so I have to dig for what I want?
• How does traffic flow throughout the space? Are there areas where I can play without tripping over other children or toys?
• Are there places that draw me toward active play and places for quiet restful activities? Is there room for me to move and exercise my large muscles without hurting anyone? Is there a cozy corner where I can go if I want to be alone?
• Can I easily tell what things are available for play and what things are off limits?
• How does the space sound? Are the noises pleasant or neutral? Or are they loud and irritating?

Children respond best in an environment that makes them feel safe and secure. When they are given a special place to keep their belongings safe, children feel respected. When they know where to play, they are less likely to wander. When children know what things are theirs to play with and what things are off limits, they learn to respect the rights of others. Children who have a wide variety of interesting and age-appropriate toys to play with are more likely to be involved in purposeful activities throughout the day—and therefore are less likely to get into trouble or to be difficult.

Use the Environment to Encourage Positive Behavior

One way to encourage positive behavior is to create specific areas in your home for different activities. Here are some suggestions:

• Identify which areas of your house are “off limits” to child care children. A door, a gate or a large piece of furniture can be used to block off areas you do not want used in your program. Breakable objects can be stored in these off-limits areas.
• Decide where you will allow active play, such as musical games, block play and dramatic play.
• Decide on a comfortable area you can set aside for quiet activities, such as books, drawing and listening to stories and tapes.
• Set aside a place for older children to keep their games and special materials such as paper, scissors, markers and glue. It’s also a good idea to have a private place where school age children can work on homework without interruptions.
• Decide if you are going to use designated areas for child care and leave them set up all the time. You can also convert the space back into a “normal” living area at the end of each day, storing equipment in closets and moving furniture around.

It should be clear to the children what activities are allowed in what spaces of your home. Set up “activity areas” that are designated for specific kinds of play. A space for playing with blocks, an easy-to-clean area for messy activities and a cozy corner to relax in—a family child care home can provide these different activity areas without losing its homelike atmosphere.

Ideas for indoor spaces:

Quiet Space and Noisy Space
Children need separate areas for quiet activities and noisy activities. A quiet area could include books, pillows, rugs, a children’s record player (to play softly) and small manipulative toys. The noisy area could have more space, and include trucks, cars, and other large toys.

Eye and Reach Level
You can help children to become self-reliant and to feel good about themselves by placing frequently used objects at their level. They will be able to get at things and to put them away on their own without having to constantly ask you for help. This will help encourage the development of independence and responsibility. Providing pictures, mirrors, tables and chairs at children’s level will help increase their growing sense of self worth.

Activity, Space and Traffic Patterns
It is important to have a variety of activities and materials available to the children. It is possible to organize in such a way that the activities will not conflict with each other. For example, puzzles can be put in a place where they will not be in the path of trucks and airplanes. Placing blocks, trucks, crayons and puzzles all in the same area does not give children clues to appropriate behavior. But when you place all the small muscle toys in one area, you let the children know what the appropriate behavior for that area will be. Grouping similar activities in specific areas also allows children with like interests to play together. You may be able to rearrange furniture to provide different activity areas or to limit or expand existing ones.

Alone Space
Children need to have places where they can play with other children, but they also need to be able to have private time. Private time is time alone to think, reflect, or settle down. Try looking for nooks and crannies in your home—a chair pulled away from the wall or a large cardboard box will do.

Integrating Your Family and Child Care Environments

Many care givers have found or built different kinds of storage cabinets or furniture that can display toys and activities during the day, but can be turned around in the evening. Some child care furniture can be organized to fit in with the general furniture arrangement, so that they do not look out of place. At the very least, cover child care equipment during non-business hours to make your house seem more like a home.

Remember these four key points when arranging space in your child care home:

Safety

• Child proof each room
• Remove things that are dangerous or harmful to children
• Keep medicines out of reach at all times
• Vacuum and sweep floors to remove debris
• Do a safety check each night or early morning
• Place safety caps on electrical outlets.
• Tape down long cords to avoid tripping
• Check all equipment to be sure there are no rough or pointed edges, splinters or broken pieces
• Have a safety gate for crawling infants/toddlers.
• Store toys at “reaching” level for children and be sure shelves are secure and cannot fall on children

Accessibility and Age Appropriateness

• Remember, when children can access materials, it builds their independence
• Use child size coat hangers or hooks
• Use stepping stools for hand washing and bathroom needs
• Use child size tables and chairs
• Consider equipment that can be easily moved for rearrangement and for
  various activities
• Be aware that if toys are kept too high, a child can become frustrated and
  attempt to climb

Room Décor

• The room should be bright, colorful and comfortable
• Place pictures and posters at the children’s eye level
• Have a rocking chair
• Hang a bulletin board in a conspicuous place to post messages, etc.
• Hang your license in a conspicuous place
• Display children’s artwork
• Have non-poisonous plants on shelves or in windows
• Include an aquarium with fish
• Play music that is quiet and soft for naptimes. Music has a positive effect on children, parents and you. Consider playing music at arrival and pick-up times to set a pleasant mood.
• The diaper changing/disposal area should have plenty of ventilation and be well away from the kitchen
• You décor should be one that encourages learning, curiosity, exploration and problem-solving and says “This is different from home.”

Storage Space

• Allow adequate storage space for child care and for your own family’s things
• Well designed storage space helps eliminate clutter and increases usable space
• Rotate toys: put the toys away that the children are not using; take them out later and give children a feeling of playing with something new and different
• Allow office/business space. You will need some sort of filing system and storage, and a desk or area where you can do your paperwork and record keeping

Sample Equipment List

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