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Philosophy
All Gads Hill Center Directly Operated Sites and Partner Agencies are responsible for ensuring that day-to-day program practices promote health and safety. Gads Hill Centers are licensed by Excellerate, NAEYC, and DCFS. These entities have substantiated standards for classroom environments that GHC adheres to. It is critical to invest in designing and implementing a quality environment that caters to the requirements of each child enrolled when building an early childcare setting. The program's aim and educational philosophy should be reflected in every element of the environmental design plan in order to improve children's learning. The design plan goes beyond a standard classroom and is intended to establish the groundwork for developmentally appropriate learning. The objective is to combine flexible spaces with open-ended materials in order to foster connections, a sense of place, and belonging. The proposal will include suggestions for a current childcare center program that is in the discussion phases to modernize the indoor and outdoor surroundings of the facility
Classroom Arrangements
The room arrangement of each program classroom is the responsibility of the Program Lead Teacher and Assistant Teacher. Space should be organized according to the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ECERS) for 3-5 or Infant Toddler Environmental Rating Skills (ITERS) for 0-3. Classroom centers or areas should include blocks, dramatic play, art, large and small motor, and books. These areas should be clearly defined with obvious boundaries. Quiet areas should be set up as far away from noisy activities (blocks, cars, etc.) as possible. The room décor should consist mostly of child artwork and photographs of animals, people, food, and the children themselves at the child’s eye level. Room arrangement should consider that staff must be able to see every child at all times.
Setting Up Classroom Environments
Setting Up Classroom Environments
Purpose of Environments and Supporting Children
The importance of creating a well-designed facility will reflect the desire to offer "High-Quality" learning Environments that cater to the unique interests and needs of each child enrolled. The childcare program should be intentionally designed to create a nurturing, safe, and responsive learning environment in the classroom. Additionally, the classroom environment will promote each child's independence to improve their learning abilities and cognitive growth. Environments that work to reduce challenging behaviors and act as a cornerstone of interventions are crucial to supporting the learning and development of the children we serve.
Creating well-designed classroom environments and the components of a quality learning environment include:
· Appropriate staff/child ratios
· Appropriate group size
· Appropriate caregiver qualifications
· Curriculum planning and implementation is appropriate.
· Support responsive caregiving.
· Foster independence and feelings of competence in young children
· Encourage staff efficiency.
· Promote children's engagement.
· Decrease challenging behavior.
· Facilitate appropriate social interactions among children.
· Provide structure and predictability.
The Learning Environment in every classroom must be well-organized and display developmentally appropriate schedules, lesson plans, and indoor and outdoor learning experiences that offer enough opportunities for choice, play, exploration, and experimentation among a variety of learning, sensory, and motor experiences.
Planning Classroom Design
The indoor and outdoor spaces will provide safe physical environments that are conducive to learning and reflective of the different stages of development of each child. Appropriate space and materials will be provided to conduct a variety of activities that promote development in each developmental domain. Functional areas allow for individual activities and social interactions. The physical environment supports positive behaviors. The environment also reflects acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language,ethnicity and family composition.
Establish traffic patterns for entering the room, moving to and from activity areas, bathroom, cubbies.
Minimize large open spaces and obstacles.
Organize the room so you can see as much as possible from every location to ensure children’s safety.
Provide individual spaces for children to hang their clothing and store their personal belongings. Label spaces with their names and a photo.
Make every effort to include the children’s home language in the signs and labels around the classroom.
Display visual reminders of behavior expectations/ classroom rules at children’s eye level.
Display a classroom picture schedule at children’s eye level.
Display schedule and curriculum plan (typed or legibly written) for adults
Set up activity areas:
Establish at least the following activity areas:
Blocks/ Building (may be in Circle area)
Dramatic Play
Table Top Activities (Toys and Games)
Sensory Table
Creative Arts
Literacy (Writing Table, Library, Listening, Computer)
Discovery (Science and Math)
Circle (Music and Movement)
Quiet area
Clearly define areas by using room dividers or furniture. Consider floor covering, lighting, and location of resources (e.g. electric outlet, water source, etc.) when setting up areas.
Arrange the space to allow children to work individually, in small groups, or in a large group.
Place signs in each area or in the in-kind binder to help volunteers know what the children are learning and how to facilitate the activity.
Have a system in place for entering and exiting areas.
Equip activity areas
Choose and/ or adapt materials that meet the interests (attractive and relevant to children’s experiences and culture) and needs (challenging but not frustrating) of the children.
Ensure that all equipment and materials in classroom are in good condition.
Put out duplicates of basic materials to minimize sharing problems.
Change the materials in the learning centers regularly to maintain children’s interest, extend their experiences and reflect new interests. (E.g. Dramatic play area can be housekeeping, store, flower shop, farm. Etc.)
Organize materials.
Display materials on low, open shelves to promote accessibility and independent use by children.
Use containers to hold materials and toys with small pieces (e.g. shoe boxes, plastic containers, baskets, etc.)
Have a designated place for everything in the classroom.
Label storage places for items that are not rotated out of the room (e.g. blocks, paper, pens).
Plan classroom display
Reserve most of display space for children’s learning and work. Keep displays simple.
Display children’s work prominently, at eye level. Change displays regularly.
When displaying store bought pictures and materials, ensure that imagines are non-stereotypical and authentic depictions of children and families.
Outdoor:
Ensure safety. (see Playground Safety policy)
Ensure that teachers have an unobstructed view of the children at all times.
Show visual reminders of behavior expectations. Displayed at children’s eye level or with the teacher (key ring, rule strip)
Define each space (e.g. large group planned activity sand and water play, wheeled toys, garden, playing games, pretend play)
Create easy to follow traffic pattern (to and from classroom, trikes, around play structures)
Equip areas (e.g. buckets, shovels for sand play, bring instruments/ radio, large art area, dramatic play props like firefighter hats, books)
Classroom & Developmentally Appropriate Design
Daily Schedules
GHC requires that the Center Based daily program model is arranged to accommodate a variety of children’s strengths and potentials and to stimulate learning across all domains of development. Therefore, developmentally appropriate schedules include outdoor and indoor learning experiences that provide opportunities for choice, play, explorations, and experimentation, among a variety of sensory and motor learning experiences.
The program's daily routine will include the following:
1. Arrivals/Departures
2. Tooth brushing
3. Active Supervision
4. Plan/Do/Recall
5. Small-Group Time
6. Large-Group Time
7. Gross Motor/Outside Time
8. Music and Movement
9. Transitions and Cleanup
10. Snacks and Meals
11. Quiet Time
Learning Environments
The program’s teaching practices will support children’s development through intentional planning and interactions that allow children to explore and engage in rich, meaningful learning experiences that promote development in language, literacy, social-emotional, math, science, social studies, creative arts, and physical development. Teaching and learning in the program is aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, Illinois Early Learning Standards, and the Creative Curriculum. Teachers will utilize Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment data for individual and group planning.
To support the implementation of the curriculum, programs will provide developmentally and linguistically appropriate equipment, materials, supplies, and physical space for indoor and outdoor learning environments. In addition, the equipment, materials, and supplies include necessary accommodations and accessible space for children with disabilities
Materials & Learning Spaces
Developmentally and linguistically appropriate classroom furniture and equipment must be arranged in clearly defined interest areas that enable children to use the materials and equipment independently. The classroom environment, materials, activities, and interactions, with respect to the individual characteristics of children and including those with disabilities, will include learning experiences and activities that support dual language learners and cultures of the families represented. Materials should support children’s interest and development in all domains of learning. Areas include space for a large group, block play, dramatic play, math, science/discovery, literacy, and sensory play. In addition, teachers must be aware of potential hazards, such as electrical outlets, when arranging furniture or displaying materials. The environment will also include an assortment of books available in languages spoken at home by children. In addition, the environment will have displays of photos, posters, and art to reflect the different cultures and languages of families in the program. Puzzles, instructional materials, and dramatic play clothing will reflect people of different races, languages, cultures, and ethnicities.
Developmentally appropriate, safe materials and equipment are available to all children. Materials and equipment that project heterogeneous racial, sexual, and age attributes are selected and used. Materials and equipment should reflect the diversity that exists in society and avoid stereotyping of any group. Materials are selected to emphasize concrete, experimental learning and to achieve the following goals:
Foster a positive self-concept
Develop social goals
Encourage children to think, reason, question, and experiment, including numeracy skills
Encourage language development and literacy skills in English and in the child’s home language, as needed
Enhance physical development and skills
Encourage and demonstrate sound health, safety, and nutritional practices
Encourage creative expression and appreciation of the arts
Respect cultural diversity
Child-initiated activities are planned for 60 minutes, which allows children to initiate play using various materials and activities. Children can choose their own activities and/or from teacher’s planned activities. The staff respects the child’s right to choose not to participate at times.
Classroom Inventory
To ensure every classroom has a developmentally appropriate environment, sites should complete inventory monthly. Classroom staff should consistently inventory and store equipment and supplies that are not regularly utilized. Please find attached the Classroom Inventory List to document all items in every classroom of the centers. Please make additional copies of the template to ensure that all classroom items are inventoried. In the event that staff has personal items in the classroom, please be sure to have them inventory their items for documentary purposes.
The Guidelines for Classroom Inventory consider the following:
1. What are the items being kept?
2. How many of each item(s)?
3. What is the purpose of the items being kept?
4. How often are items being used?
5. Write all the items on the list to keep account of necessary/unnecessary items.
6. Keep your inventory clear and organized.
7. Recheck the items listed with the Site Manager to ensure the necessity of items being kept.
8. Inventory each Center Area separately.
1. Block Area
2. Dramatic Play
3. Sensory Area
4. Art Area
5. Library Area
6. Writing/Literacy Area
7. Science Area
9. Categorize Items
Furnishings
Materials and Supplies
Large Motor
Indoor & Outdoor: Blocks, Balls, Pull toys, etc.
Fine Motor
Language Development
Social Expressions
Cognitive
Music
Social Science
Learning Tools
Literacy/Library
Relaxation Area i.e. Pillows
Games
Environment Maintenance
All Gads Hill Center, Directly Operated Sites, and Partner Agencies are responsible for ensuring that day-to-day program practices promote health and safety. Each program/ agency must design and implement program practices responsive to support and ensure the safety of all children in the program. GHC aims to provide teachers and educators with guidelines that address General Cleanliness and Maintenance Expectations practices.
The indoor and outdoor space and equipment of the center are cleaned and sanitized and inspected on a regular basis, and logs of those inspections are on file at the center.
Equipment and furniture is durable, in good repair, structurally sound, and stable following assembly and installation.
Equipment is free of sharp edges, dangerous protrusions, points where a child's extremities could be pinched or crushed, and openings or angles that could trap part of a child's body.
Tables, chairs, and other furniture are appropriate to the age and size of children who use them. Toys and equipment that are likely to be mouthed by infants and toddlers are made of a material that can be disinfected. These are cleaned and disinfected when mouthed or soiled at a minimum daily.
A mouthed toy bucket must be kept and maintained in all 0-3 classrooms. Mouthed toys must be disinfected before being place back out on the floor.
The areas used by children are free from debris, loose flaking, peeling, or chipped paint, loose wallpaper, or crumbling plaster, litter, and holes in the walls, floors, and ceilings. Rugs have a nonskid backing or are firmly fastened to the floor and free from tears, curled or frayed edges, and hazardous wrinkles.
Toilet/Diaper Facilities Toilet rooms at the center are cleaned daily and when soiled. Our facility does not use toilet training chairs. The diaper changing area is in the bathroom, away from the food area, and has a hand sink equipped with hot and cold running water within three feet of the diaper changing surface. A smooth, nonabsorbent diaper changing surface and floor covering and a sanitary container for soiled and wet diapers, liquid hand soap, facial tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels are available. The center has and follows diaper changing procedures which are posted near the changing area.
Children’s Hand's are washed with soap and water after a diaper change, use of a toilet, and before eating a meal or snack. Staff monitors hand washing and assist children that need help. Staff also wash their hands after changing a child’s diaper, after using toilet facilities, and before handling or eating any food.
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