Destiny Winn

3/21/2021

ECE 251- 2001

Environment Observation

School: Infant Classroom Layout

Number of Teachers in the class: 3

Number of Children in the class: 9

Age of children: 6 months to 3 years old

• List all the interest areas you see in this classroom (i.e. Library, art, science, etc.)

There is an eating area, changing area, play area, tables and rocking chairs for a sitting

area, and then the crib area.

• Do the center areas have the following: Are there enough materials, are the

materials in good condition, are they age-appropriate?

There is lots of room in the center of the class for sitting and working at tables. The swings are

out of the way but still sort of in the center of the classroom. There are also different-sized toy

shelves next to the tables. The toys will be able to be picked out and brought over to the tables to

play with. There should be more room to sit and play on the floor for a different option from the

tables. There could also be more rocking chairs and a bookshelf to designate a reading area in the

rocking chairs and sitting on the floor.

 • Is there a DEAD SPACE? (i.e. Areas where children can hide, areas where they are

not visible to teachers)

There is some dead space the children can probably hide behind and under the cribs in the back

area. Most of the play area is sectioned off by toy selves and swings so it might cut your vision

off from what is happening behind it. There is some dead space by the cubbies and sink that

could have been used to organize the tables better and spread them out. With the tables being

spread out from the middle it would give more floor space to play and read.

• Does the classroom flow?

I think overall the classroom does flow but some changes could be made. It makes sense to have

the crib area away from the toys and eating area. The crib area should be quiet, and no toys

should be visible from view so the children will not be distracted with getting toys instead of

laying down. The sink should be moved next to the refrigerator. This would allow the changing

area to be in the top left corner of the classroom and away from the eating area for sanitary

reasons. The cubbies can be used to cut off the changing area from the eating. Adding the sink

next to the fridge would eliminate a lot more back and forth traffic from one side of the room to

the other when cleaning up food and messes.

• Rating: Using a scale from 1-5, how would you rate this environment? Defend your

answer.

I would rate the environment a 3. The reason for this rating is that I have made several

suggestions as to what can be moved and opened up more in the classroom for it to flow better.

The center of the room feels a bit cluttered and messy. With lots of adults, teachers moving

around and children running and playing this classroom would have some obstacles. The room

does not promote an open environment. There is only one door in the classroom and no
windows. The children need to be more connected to the outdoors and have easy access to the

exit. You can give the feel of being connected to the outdoors by having more windows or big

windows. This classroom needs more space in the middle for the children to sit and play on the

floor. They also need to add a bookshelf and another rocking chair or two to designate a reading

area.

• Strengths: List 3 strengths you saw in this environment.

The three strengths I see in this infant classroom are the ease to get to the eating area, turning the

tables into a play and learning center, and having the crib area completely separate from the rest

of the classroom. The cribs being sectioned off are going to help the children focus on laying

down for nap time and not getting distracted with looking at toys or other things going on in the

classroom. The toy shelves cut off the view of the other side of the classroom. I like that the

eating area only needs to consist of the fridge and the sink and can be transitioned so the tables

are used for multiple things.

• Improvement: List 3 improvements you could see benefiting the children’s learning.

Adding space into the classroom is one of the most important improvements. This gives

the children the freedom to move and run around more. This opens up their creativity

when they have more room to work with and spread out. Another improvement would be

moving the sink next to the refrigerator so that the teachers are taking fewer trips back

and forth. The quicker they can clean up messes then the sooner their attention gets put

back on the children. The third improvement would be adding a designated area for

reading by adding a bookshelf and another rocking chair. This would allow two teachers

to sit in the rocking chairs with children while the third teacher was sitting on the floor

with the rest of them. The teachers would be able to present the books in front of the

children sitting down and be able to intact with them more by looking back at them. The
 reading area would separate the part of the room with the toys used for play. The children

would know it is time to read a book when moving to this area and not time to play with

toys.

• List 3 DAP principles that will support your ideas for strengths or improvements.

• DAP principle #4: Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effects on

individual children’s development; optimal periods exist for certain types of development

and learning.

• DAP principle #9: Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and

cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development.

• DAP principle #12: Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where

they are safe and valued, their physical needs are met, and they feel psychologically

secure.