Infant & Toddler Group Care
Environments
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Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
• Evaluate I/T care environments in terms of health and
safety issues.
• Discuss why adult comfort and convenience are
important considerations for responsive caregiving.
• Explain why child choice and child-size furnishings and
equipment are necessary.
• Provide examples of how an I/T care environment can
provide flexibility and encourage movement.
• Discuss how the play environment is curriculum.
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Activity: What kind of environment
would you prefer?
• Imagine for a moment that you are “older”
and now unable to live independently.
Your family is considering a number of
retirement homes, and need your input on
what kind of environment you prefer.
• Take a few minutes to answer the question
for yourself, and then discuss your
responses in a small group.
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Reflect…
Think about places in your infant/toddler
program that:
• You like best
o Why? What makes them effective, positive, inviting,
enjoyable?
• You like least
o Why? What makes them uninviting, not very
enjoyable or pleasant, difficult?
Keep your thoughts in mind as you watch
the DVD “Space to Grow”.
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Space to Grow: Creating Child Care
Environments for Infants and Toddlers
(Second Edition)
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Space to Grow: Safety and Health
Concept 1: Safety
Concept 2: Health
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Dyad Discussion: Safety and Health
Was there anything you saw that you
would like to adapt for your program?
“Space to Grow: Creating a Child Care Environment for
Infants and Toddlers”
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Space to Grow: Comfort and
Convenience
Concept 3: Comfort
Concept 4: Convenience
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Comfort for Adults and Children
What do you see in
this scene that
provides comfort
for children and
adults?
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Dyad Discussion: Comfort and
Convenience
• What do you have in your I/T environment
that provides comfort for adults? Children?
• What was an example related to comfort
and convenience that you could adapt to
your classroom or family child care home?
“Space to Grow: Creating a Child Care Environment for
Infants and Toddlers”
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What is convenient about this Infant
eating area?
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Comfort in Family Child Care & Centers
Family Child Care
Center
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Does your environment have soft,
cozy spaces?
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Space to Grow: Child-Sized Furniture and
Flexibility
Concept 5: Child-Sized
Furniture
Concept 6: Flexibility
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Dyad Discussion: Child-Sized
Furnishings and Flexibility
• What percentage of your furnishings are
sized for infants and toddlers?
• What is your plan to add child-sized
furnishings and equipment for your
program?
“Space to Grow: Creating a Child Care Environment for
Infants and Toddlers”
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Space to Grow: Encourage Movement
and Child Choice
Concept 7: Encourage
Movement
Concept 8: Child Choice
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Dyad Discussion: Child-Sized
Furnishings and Flexibility
• Does your indoor and outdoor
environment encourage movement? How
could it be improved?
• In what ways does your environment allow
for child choice? How could child choice
be enhanced?
“Space to Grow: Creating a Child Care Environment for
Infants and Toddlers”
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6-18 month room: various levels
throughout classroom
Note that the
curtains and fabric
on the walls help
to create a more
home-like
environment.
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Creating Home-Like Environments
Following are a few photos of an
infant/toddler center’s efforts to create a
more home-like environment in their large
center.
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The curtains, green ivy, and fabric hanging from
the ceiling, along with plants in the room, create
a more home-like and calming environment.
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Family photos are displayed at the child’s
eye level.
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Clutter-free shelves with similar toys grouped together.
Children understand where items are located, making a
child’s selection of choices easier, and clean-up time more
manageable.
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The shelves for this infant room are very low
and accessible to the children.
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Family-style eating environment promotes children’s
learning of socialization skills and self-help skills, by
allowing for passing foods to friends and serving
themselves. Language is promoted by identifying color
and foods.
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More home-like environmental features.
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Another home-like environment.
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Toys displayed in baskets and doilies
create a home-like atmosphere.
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Activity: Taking Infants’ Perspectives
In closing, let’s watch a fun video clip in
which two teachers perform a “white glove
test” on their infant/toddler room.
Before the next session, consider performing
a “white glove test” on your infant/toddler
environment.
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Taking Infants’ Perspectives:
The White Glove Test
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Reviewing the Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
• Evaluate I/T care environments in terms of health and
safety issues.
• Discuss why adult comfort and convenience are
important considerations for responsive caregiving.
• Explain why child choice and child-size furnishings and
equipment are necessary.
• Provide examples of how an I/T care environment can
provide flexibility and encourage movement.
• Discuss how the play environment is curriculum.
WestEd.org