Quality School-Agee Environments

Quality School-Agee Environments

Introduction

School-age is the age through which children prepare to start attending school. School-age children deserve quality environments that enhance their development. School-age environments are defined as environments that contain context and spaces in which children learn and grow. Watching school-age children grow and develop is the most important period in a child’s life. A child’s environment plays a major role in their development, both physically and psychologically. During this period, a child becomes very sensitive to the environment through which they are being exposed. Both indoor and outdoor environments play a vital role in shaping the life of a child. Positive environments for the school-aged provide them with greater opportunities to improve on their social skills as a result of interaction with their environments (“IRIS | Early Childhood Environments,” n.d.).

Good environments include classrooms, dining rooms, playgrounds, spaces for caregiving, and an outdoor environment. A child’s home is also a part of the environment. Positive environments are linked with the success of the children and create positive impacts compared to the adverse effects. First, a good environment encourages children to learn through carrying out various activities such as play and sleep. It should contain features and objects that enhance the growth of the five senses, thus allow cognitive development (“IRIS | Early Childhood Environments,” n.d.). Environments for the school-age enhance creativity also.

To create good environments for our children, various aspects should be considered. Parents, educators, and school directors play a big role in ensuring that a child’s environment provides the best, and it is of good standards. For quality environments, educators should ensure that each child has enough space, especially in the classrooms, to ensure that children can play safely. The space for children should be organized in a good manner. Children should also be provided with the required play materials depending on a child’s age.

This paper aims to establish a useful review of the literature on quality school-age environments. What is needed and what is available to ensure quality school-age environments will be established in the literature review from the findings of other researchers. Ways through which quality environments for the school-age can be improved are described. Educators’ views on challenges to quality environments have been outlined. Environmental factors that meet the need of the school-aged children are explained. A comparison highlighting the similarities and differences in the educators’ view from that of the literature review is highlighted. An explanation of the supports or the changes that can result in improved quality will also be made. This research paper, therefore, ends with a justification of the research and a conclusion.

  Literature Review

School-age environments are comprised of various components. These include a physical environment, temporal environment, and social environment (“IRIS | Early Childhood Environments,” n.d.). A physical environment is comprised of the design of the environment and its components, such as materials, furniture, decorations, and physical space. A temporal environment is composed of activities that are carried out during the day, such as sleep, learn and play while a social environment comprises of the social interactions between the teacher, children themselves, and the family members (“IRIS | Early Childhood Environments,” n.d.). A good environment for the school-age ensures that the three components are incorporated.

A child’s environment plays the most significant role in the growth and development of children. Educators should provide favorable environments for children. Since children spend 80% of their time in the classroom, providing children with the best classroom environment will enhance the success of the children (Sheffler, 2009). A good indoor environment is attributed to emotional and cognitive development in children. Therefore educators should create good classroom designs that will motivate children. Research studies indicated that young children are greatly affected by the environment as compared to any other group. Outdoor environments enhance play in young children. An excellent outdoor environment should be designed in ways that facilitate various activities and enhance learning. Good environments are encouraged since children learn through ways that are directly associated with the environment, such as physical contact (Acar, 2014). Children can realize themselves through interaction with outdoor environments.

It has been found out that school-age environments have led to the satisfaction of life in young children. A child’s environment is therefore comprised of sound organizational structure, educators, classroom, and an outdoor environment, which are all of great significance to children. In a research study to determine the impact of the classroom on a child’s life satisfaction, 4,764,483 classes were used (Rathmann, Herke, Hurrelmann, & Richter, 2018). Data was derived from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Results indicated that an indoor environment (classroom) did not lead to satisfaction (Rathmann et al., 2018). Other factors did.

Environment is termed as a third teacher after educators and parents. In a research study conducted to determine how a classroom helped children to learn, results indicated that children considered the environment a space that facilitated them to learn (Robson, 2016). Qualitative analysis showed that children were able to learn through materials in the classroom. The physical environment is associated with child development. A research was conducted to determine the effect noise, pollutants, toxins, housing, school, and crowding; results indicated that each factor had its impact on the development of children (Ferguson, Cassells, MacAllister, & Evans, 2013).

To improve the quality of the environment provided to the children, it is good to review the relationship between children and caregivers. Caregivers facilitate suitable environments for their children, and it is. Therefore, important to develop policies and programs that will educate them towards providing positive environments to their children (Magnuson & Schindler, 2019). Caregivers and educators should, therefore, identify materials, space, and time to offer to the children that play an important role in the creation of positive environments (Davies et al., 2013).  These materials have played an important role in the development of creativity.

The increase of the educator-child ratio will improve the quality environment for the school age. A good ratio leads to maximum care given to the children. Educators provide the best environment for the children. Educators act as an environment for the children since they enhance social interactions. In research conducted to determine the significance of having a good educator ratio indicated that there was a significant relationship in child outcomes (Perlman et al., 2017).

Challenges to Quality Environments for the School-Aged

            The provision of quality environments for the school-aged is still a challenge for most people. Parents, educators, and school directors play the biggest role in providing quality environments for their children. There various challenges that exist to the provision of quality environments for school-aged children. The first challenge to quality environments for school-aged children is the size of the classrooms. In most cases, most classes are usually overcrowded, and space is generally limited to cater to each Childs’ space needs.

Another challenge to the quality environment for the school-age is poverty. Due to poverty, parents find it difficult to provide with their children quality education. Poverty is associated with many factors, such as lack of provision of basic needs to school-age children. Basic requirements for children may include toys and materials that are part of their environments. Thirdly, lack of enough teaching practice by educators becomes a challenge to the provision of quality education to the school age. Educators act as primary caregivers in childcare centers. When they lack enough experience, they will end up providing the children with poor quality environments.

Environmental Factors That Meet the Needs of School-Age Children

Environmental factors are features that are external to a person. Various environmental factors affect school-age children. During the early stages of development, children require caregivers, and they are, therefore, the immediate environment for the children. Thus, a primary caregiver becomes the first environmental factor that children need for their growth and development (Magnuson & Schindler, 2019). Primary caregivers can be parents or educators. Educators say that how they respond to children is the most important factor as it helps in shaping the children. The interaction between the educators and children helps in determining if the children can respond to the five senses; hearing, taste, touch, sight, and smell.

The second environmental factor that can meet the needs of school-age children is the type of housing in which children live, both at school and home. Children will develop well where there is enough space to play and interact with other objects. Both classrooms and homes should not be overcrowded. Indoor environments should be free from contaminations, such as air pollution.  Thirdly, a parent’s income is an important environmental factor that plays a vital role in the provision of a quality environment for the children. The income of the parent relates to their employment (Magnuson & Schindler, 2019). Therefore the type of a parent’s job determines the kind of care that the child gets. Parents with good employments have good incomes, and therefore they can put an extra coin to pay good childcare centers that provide their children with quality environments. Through a good salary, parents are also able to purchase the best toys for their children for play, thus enhancing their environments.

 Comparison of Educators’ Views with Information from the Lit Review

Views from the educators and those of the literature review are similar. There are no differences noted in the views of the educators and literature review. Educators agree with the literature review that the environment is of great importance to the development of children. A good environment contributes positively to physical, emotional, psychological, and cognitive development. Secondly, educators agree with the literature review that it is not the only classroom that leads to a positive environment but the association of other factors such as outdoor environment, educators themselves, and materials for play. Thirdly, educators agree with the literature review that it is the collaboration of the parents, caregivers, and educators that will lead to the creation of quality environments. Educators concur with the literature review that increasing the educator-child ratio will help improve the outcomes of quality environments for the school age.

 Supports/Changes Might Result in Improved Quality

Despite the challenges that hinder the provision of quality environments, there is a vast of supports and changes that can be made to improve the quality of environments for the school-age children. Parents, educators, and childcare facilities directors should work collaboratively to improve the environments of the school-age children. First, the childcare directors should ensure that their facilities have enough space to cater for the needs of the children (Workman & Ullrich, 2017). They can achieve these by providing the required licensed capacities in their schools.

Secondly, the childcare facilities directors need to ensure that the educators hired have enough teaching practice experience (Workman & Ullrich, 2017). Experienced and qualified caregivers and educators provide the best environment for the children. They understand the needs of the children regarding the environmental needs of the children. They can identify the best materials used for play and learning and can provide each child with enough space. Excellent educators enhance social interactions with school-age children.

Thirdly, there should be a regular inspection by licensing bodies to ensure that childcare facilities are providing the best environments for the children (Houston, Ong, Wu, & Winer, 2006). Lastly, parents have a responsibility for ensuring improved quality environments for their children. Parents should ensure that their children have the best environments at home by ensuring that they get the best space for play and also provide materials that enhance play and physical activity. Parents should also take the initiative of visiting childcare facilities to ensure that their children are provided with the best environments.

 Justification

The research aimed to establish the role of quality environments for school-age children. Various changes that might result in improved quality environments have been discussed. These changes will improve people’s perception of providing children with the best environments. Inspection of environments for the school-age will help school directors to improve on licensed capacities. This research will also help parents will improve through creating enough physical space at home that will enhance a child to grow and providing materials that children can use to play. Through this research, directors will employ only qualified staff that are aware of creating quality environments for their children.

Conclusions 

In conclusion, creating positive environments for children is associated with many advantages as compared to the disadvantages. It is the right of every child to enjoy quality environments as these will help develop emotionally, physically, and psychologically. This research was done to determine what quality environment for school-age is and deciding on ways that can improve the quality environment for the school age. The research established that a good environment has helped children to learn. It is, therefore, the responsibility of parents, caregivers, and educators to provide children with quality environments.

References

Acar, H. (2014). Learning environments for children in outdoor spaces. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141, 846–853.

Davies, D., Jindal-Snape, D., Collier, C., Digby, R., Hay, P., & Howe, A. (2013). Creative learning environments in education—A systematic literature review. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 8, 80–91.

Ferguson, K. T., Cassells, R. C., MacAllister, J. W., & Evans, G. W. (2013). The physical environment and child development: An international review. International Journal of Psychology, 48(4), 437–468.

Houston, D., Ong, P., Wu, J., & Winer, A. (2006). Proximity of licensed child care facilities to near-roadway vehicle pollution. American Journal of Public Health, 96(9), 1611–1617.

IRIS | Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2019, from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/env/

Magnuson, K., & Schindler, H. (2019). Supporting Children’s Early Development by Building Caregivers’ Capacities and Skills: A Theoretical Approach Informed by New Neuroscience Research. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(1), 59–78.

Perlman, M., Fletcher, B., Falenchuk, O., Brunsek, A., McMullen, E., & Shah, P. S. (2017). Child-Staff ratios in early childhood education and care settings and child outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS One, 12(1), e0170256.

Rathmann, K., Herke, M. G., Hurrelmann, K., & Richter, M. (2018). Perceived class climate and school-aged children’s life satisfaction: The role of the learning environment in classrooms. PloS One, 13(2), e0189335.

Robson, K. (2016). Children’s views of the learning environment: A study exploring the reggio emilia principle of the environment as the third teacher.

Sheffler, J. L. (2009). Creating a warm and inclusive classroom environment: Planning for all children to feel welcome. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 2(4), 4.

Workman, S., & Ullrich, R. (2017, February 13). Quality 101: Identifying the Core Components of a High-Quality Early Childhood Program. Retrieved November 24, 2019, from Center for American Progress website: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2017/02/13/414939/quality-101-identifying-the-core-components-of-a-high-quality-early-childhood-program/