| Daycare licensees and administrators must give | | | | around in the classroom whose furniture are |
| special attention to preschool day care classroom | | | | designed for the size of the children, they could |
| layout before the beginning of each school year. | | | | trip over some tables or chairs as they move |
| The preschool classroom is the child's first | | | | about. There is a need to strike a balance |
| introduction to the world of education hence | | | | between the needs of the children and the need |
| making a layout that will be attractive and | | | | of the staff especially on matters that involve |
| enjoyable to the child will be very important. A | | | | spatial arrangement of things. |
| good classroom layout could make the child's | | | | Classroom Division |
| introduction to education a fun learning experience | | | | The classroom must be divided into the |
| or a nightmare that could have a lasting negative | | | | necessary sections as the various needs demand. |
| effect. | | | | Normally, a preschool classroom will need areas |
| A good first impression of the school's layout | | | | for art, blocks, manipulative activities, dramatic |
| could help develop in a child a set of positive | | | | play, music, library, and science. There will be |
| feelings and associations that will help carry them | | | | instances also that will require a writing area, |
| through in a lifetime of learning. In addition, the | | | | usually close to the library section. An indoor |
| classroom must provide a worthwhile learning and | | | | playground could also be incorporated into the |
| playing experience that will help prevent a | | | | preschool classroom. The layout planner must see |
| separation anxiety disorder on the children as | | | | to it that an area is devoted for each of these |
| they were left on the daycare center by their | | | | purposes and that related activities must be |
| parents. | | | | placed close or near each other. For example, the |
| One fact that daycare licensees and | | | | play area must be adjacent or very close to the |
| administrators must always consider is that | | | | shelves where toys are kept. |
| preschoolers are very active - they are always | | | | Classroom division need not be uniform in size as |
| moving - so having a chaotic environment is | | | | different activities may require varied space |
| always a possibility. Planning the classroom layout | | | | requirements. Dramatic play areas are expected |
| to prevent this chaotic environment is both a | | | | to be bigger in size than music area. Also, some |
| challenge and a necessity if they want to keep | | | | kind of classroom activities may be noisier than |
| the interest of the children and at the same time | | | | others hence it will be necessary that these are |
| guarantee their safety. | | | | assigned areas quite far from the area that will be |
| Child-sizing the Classroom | | | | assigned to quiet activities like the reading area. |
| The common mistake of classroom designers is | | | | The music area must not be put very close to |
| to make the layout from the point of view and | | | | the dramatic area as the sound will interfere with |
| the spatial requirements of an adult. While | | | | the activities being undertaken in the dramatic |
| everything must not be scaled down to pint-size | | | | area. Art and reading areas must be assigned to |
| such as ceiling height and window sizes, almost | | | | the quieter side of the classroom as these will |
| everything in the classroom must be designed to | | | | need a lot of concentration on the part of the |
| the size of the children who will inhabit the area. | | | | children and any noise or music could ruin their |
| Children will be very much uncomfortable and | | | | concentration. |
| uneasy if the furniture in the classroom, as well as | | | | It is important to clearly mark the boundaries of |
| other amenities, will be adult-sized. It will also be | | | | the different areas of the classroom. Divisions |
| quite dangerous for them trying to climb | | | | could be in the form of shelves or by putting |
| oversized chairs or getting something from | | | | color duct tape on the floor in order to delineate |
| adult-sized shelves. | | | | assigned activity areas. |
| Planning the classroom layout will require that the | | | | The center of the classroom must be cleared of |
| person who will do the design it must kneel in | | | | any furniture or large objects so it can be utilized |
| order to look at things on a child's eye level. This | | | | as an assembly area of the students every time |
| will definitely change the planner's concept of | | | | there is a need for them to be gathered together |
| things to be incorporated into the classroom. The | | | | for an activity such as story-telling or |
| planner will be able to envision the right size of the | | | | show-and-tell. This area is also where students |
| chairs, tables, shelves, and everything that will be | | | | can form into a large circle when they need to be |
| needed inside a preschool classroom. | | | | interacting with each other. |
| Planning a preschool classroom will also need a | | | | The walls of the preschool classroom may be |
| clear understanding of space from the point of | | | | utilized for different purposes such as decoration, |
| view of a child. While the distance from a table to | | | | show area of the children's work, bulletin board, |
| the nearest toy shelf may be a few steps away | | | | charts, and an attendance board with the pictures |
| when an adult is involved, the planner has to | | | | of each child enrolled in the particular class. |
| understand that it will require much more steps | | | | Sections of the classroom must be clearly |
| for the child. Arrangement of furniture must | | | | identified usually by hanging signs that will show |
| therefore be done from the perspective of a child | | | | which area is to be used for a particular purpose. |
| and not that of an adult. | | | | The children may not be able to read yet but |
| A tricky part in designing the classroom using a | | | | they can be trained to recognize signs that will |
| child's perspective and size is how it will affect the | | | | lead them to section where they must go for a |
| teacher and other staff of the daycare center. | | | | particular activity. |
| While furniture arrangement will suit the needs of | | | | It will indeed require a lot of creativity and |
| the children, the planner has to consider also that | | | | imagination to make a layout of a preschool |
| the teacher and other staff have to be moving | | | | classroom but seeing the children enjoy and have |
| around the classroom. If the staff will be moving | | | | fun will be worth all the efforts. |