Young children in daycare flourish where the adults working with them understand their moods and feelings as well as their need for intellectual challenge and physical expression. The physical environment should also embody a special 'spirit of place' to support children as they explore life outside of the home.
As the review of literature that supports Birth to Three Matters1 affirms, these interlinked characteristics are strongly influenced by emotional and social factors. Informed adults understand the need to be responsive to the fluctuating levels of energy and interest that are a normal part of life for us all, and ensure that there is an ebb and flow to the day.
Anita Olds2 points out that 'being forced to maintain the same level of alertness and concentration each day undoubtedly places internal stress on children's bodies even if this is not perceptible to the adult eye'. This comment is particularly relevant in the light of recent findings about the raised stress levels found in young children in daycare.3 Olds draws attention to the importance of paying attention to the changing moods of children, and of accommodating this variety within provision for their care and education. She comments that many centres suffer from either blandness or over-stimulation, with insufficient variety of mood within each group room. As she says, 'providing options for different levels of engagement helps people to feel comfortable and remain alert in the same environment over long periods of time. The mood for each function should match the level of activity and physical energy children expend in performing it. Tranquil activities occur best in warm, textured spaces.
Expansive activities require spaces that are... more vibrant in tone. The ultimate goal is a room with several activity areas, each of which has a unique spirit of place. Then, as children go from place to place, they can experience spaces that are soft and hard, dark and light, cold and warm, colourful and bland, large and small, noisy and quiet.'
Living, Loving and Learning4, an exhibition illustrating the significance of the earliest months and years of children's lives, shows how young children need adults who tune in to their individual ways of responding to the world, and who make provision for natural variations in their emotional and physical responses. The booklet points out how these relationships condition children's intellectual alertness, and how the myriad neural networks within the brain are nourished and extended by interactive experiences. New connections and interconnections are built, providing the intricate pathways for thinking and feeling that will remain in place lifelong, and on which further learning will depend. This is reinforced by Guy Claxton, who says that, 'given a safe, varied and accessible world, the patterns that the brain is ready to pick up depend on those which it has already detected and its current state of activation. Learning is essentially open- ended, and offering diversity within security respects that.'5
Sue Gerhardt (2004) provides compelling arguments drawn from neuroscience to support the crucial importance of adults being sensitive to babies'
feelings and responsive to their needs6. Recent work on listening to young children gives many examples of ways in which this can be done7. The importance of children's feelings and dispositions to learn are spelled out by Katz and Chard8, who assert that a belief in focusing on children means paying serious attention to what they are actually communicating. Listening to children means adults talking less and allowing children to pursue their own interests in their own ways. Environments designed to foster learning will thus provide workshops promoting stimulus for exploration, a range of materials providing inspiration for creativity, situations inviting reciprocity for communication, and plenty of space for physical activity, all well ordered to support mathematical thinking.
The world-renowned pre-schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, live out these values in practice.9 Loris Malaguzzi, who inspired their development, saw the environment as another teacher. The defining characteristic of the Reggio nurseries is the way they have been designed around children's needs and interests, with an emphasis on flexible and accessible space, light and reflection. This is a physical expression of a shared philosophy, which informs the enlightened and reflective way that the staff respond to the children's ideas. In their view, the environment must be flexible, undergoing frequent modification by the children and teachers in order to stay up to date.
Everyone involved in the pre-schools, including parents and local politicians, are committed to giving children a great deal of freedom so that they can investigate, and learn from their mistakes. Children know that they can choose where and with whom to invest their curiosity, intelligence and emotions. They are free from arbitrary time restrictions, so that they can follow their own rhythms. Malaguzzi asserts the vital importance of the role of adults in what he sees as an apprenticeship, which demands constructive participation in the children's activities.
Further information
3Robin Duckett and the Sightlines Initiative encourage the development of creativity along the lines inspired by Reggio Emilia.
Sightlines Initiative, 20 Great North Road, Newcastle NE2 4PS, tel: 0191 261 2741, e-mail info@sightlines-initiative.com, website www.sightlines-initiative.com NW
References
1 David, T et al (2003) Birth to Three Matters: a review of the literature.
Available at www.dfes.gov.uk/research
2 Olds, A. Beginnings Workshop. Details at www.childcareexchange.com
3 Lamb, M and Ahnert, L, research on stress reported by Lucy Ward on 19.9.2005, at www.society. guardian.co.uk
4 The British Association for Early Childhood Education (2000) Living, Loving and Learning. An exhibition illustrating the significance of the earliest months and years of children's lives, available from www.early-education.org.uk
5 Claxton, G (1999) Wise Up: the challenge of lifelong learning. Bloomsbury
6 Gerhardt, S (2004) Why love matters: how affection shapes a baby's brain. Routledge
7 Lancaster, P (2003) Listening to young children. Buckingham: Open University Press
8 Katz, L and Chard, S (1989) Engaging children's minds: the project approach. Ablex, Norwood, NJ
9 Abbott, L and Nutbrown, C (2001) Experiencing Reggio Emilia: implications for pre-school provision. Buckingham: Open University Press
CASE STUDY: RIVERSIDE CHILDREN'S CENTRE, NORTH SHIELDS
At Riverside, the winner of Nursery World's Nursery of the Year Award 2005, harmony of design permeates the whole centre. Essentially, the environment has a strong sense of place, which is a vital expression of the spirit of those who create and inhabit it.
The physical environment in any setting gives indications of the organisation's underlying principles and priorities. Riverside expresses a warm welcome through its engaging pictures of children at work and play, and the accessible books, including profile records.
Hangings with patchwork designs made by young parents and students add to the interest and aesthetic delight of the decor. Textures, colours, images, shades, and materials are thoughtfully combined to offer a range of sensory experiences.
Displays are attractive and informative, and include interesting materials that invite investigation. There are sofas throughout the nursery and in the pre-school room. There is a homely base where children can relax.
Musical instruments and role-play materials are available in special bays, and there are spacious and well-resourced workshop areas that enable the older children to work independently at their own pace. The timetable allows for a natural ebb and flow of activity, and children have real choices in what they do for long periods of time.
Thought has been given to all aspects of the children's time in the nursery. Although the babies and toddlers are not able to express their views directly, their reactions have been carefully observed, and discussed with parents. As a result, low-level sleeping baskets have been introduced in a tranquil space, which the babies can crawl into on their own. There are plenty of carefully chosen resources in other areas, but over-stimulation is avoided, and staff understand children's need to gaze, reflect and dream as well as to move actively.
The toddlers have free access to a sleeping 'tent', with beautiful cushions and rugs provided for their comfort. There is an accessible sensory area, which is used selectively and sensitively as a space for imaginative storytelling and role play. The environment is designed to give scope for a wide range and pace of activity, with timing as well as space matched to children's mood.
Babies and toddlers can look across the dividing furniture and see what is happening in other parts of the nursery. They can go through the low-level gates and join other groups if they wish. This means that siblings can have time together, and that children who have moved from one group to another can stay in touch with their previous key people.
Each group, including those in the room set aside for teenage mothers, has free access to a pleasing outdoor area, designed for relaxation as well as exploration. The pre-school children have been consulted about the development of part of the garden, and their ideas are being incorporated into the design.