The Hundred is There!

What would it be like to teach at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center? It seems that all the environmental aspects, primarily created for young children, exist within the walls of this space. The experience of teaching children in a center of this caliber is intriguing, and certainly a dream worthy of contemplating. This reading offers a sampling of ways to incorporate ideas in our actual environments at home here in Hawaii.

The entryway and pathways - an interesting perspective to consider from the lens of a child and parents walking into a center or program office for the first time. The reading presented displays in the form of "stories". These collections create spaces that are alive, as the stories represent actual experiences of the children residing at the center. The photos and documentation presents current life as it is lived by the children - it shows the progression of life, discovery, and change in the form of developmental transitions. Based on the reading, I conclude that each area represents currently enrolled children and is updated with new stories on a regular basis. Spaces become less alive - or stagnant and stifled - when stories are the same day in and day out. Change represents life, and it each day brings new stories. It's not to say that drawings and paintings need to be changed daily. It is to say that teachers need to pay attention to items presented and keep stories fresh.

Transition spaces and classrooms - such an important piece of thought that we sometimes miss; the creation of beauty within spaces for children. The aesthetic qualities of a classroom space - both indoor and out, require thought and planning. In Hawaii, where sunlight is a regular occurrence, we can take advantage of this precious resource. Several of the centers I previewed on the website had large, open spaces with windowed ceilings that allows natural light to stream into the room. When thinking about it - we would normally use natural light at home during the day, therefore a space for young children with natural lighting would represent a more authentic home setting.
The "daily pages" made me smile as I reflected back to a preschool experience during my earlier years as a teacher. The preschool I worked at offered "Today I...", designed to meet the same goals as the daily pages activity presented in our reading. The page that I learned to create took a series of 5 minutes to document. It was a means to chronologically document our day so parents could create meaningful conversations with children. I shared this idea with my Head Start teachers years ago - some teachers embraced the idea and others did not. I want to reintroduce this to my staff as I realize the value of this simple activity, and how it opens pathways for parents to connect with their children.
Items from nature strike me as such a special touch to include in spaces for young children. I prefer to see real plants, natural weaved baskets instead of plastic bins, and containers made of ceramic materials. In one of my centers, I saw a beautiful ceramic container holding color pencils. The container is simple, yet very visually pleasing. My attention goes to that particular object every time I enter the environment. It's amazing how natural items offer a variety of textures for children to explore. Teachers that offer natural materials for children to manipulate increase sensory exploration. I liked the idea of metal buckets instead of plastic bins; what a great idea!
I appreciated the idea of looking at children's work "as representation of their thinking, their feelings, and their creative expression". This, in my opinion, is what keeps the environment alive - the description offered by Parnell reflects life in the form of thinking, feeling, and expression. In response to Jeanne's comments regarding how to create spaces full of life, the article captured this thought best by this statement: "The environment generates a sort of psychic skin, an energy-giving second skin made of writings, images, materials, objects, and colors, which reveals the presence of the children even in their absence." (Ceppi & Zini, 1998, p. 25)

The reading presented the value of teachers and their role within the environment. Teachers have "camera-like eyes and recording-like ears". This is such a tangible way to represent how teachers impact relationships with children to support learning.

I reviewed three different environments on the DesignShare website:
Center #1 - The Children's School: the environment offered large open spaces and rooms that allowed natural light to shine in.
Center #2 - Mother's Club: this program was designed for families living in poverty and a generational program. The center provided a large area of window space, and the roof held several panels of photovoltaic tiles - enough to provide 20% electricity to operate the facility. The outdoors offer a natural stream bed and an authentic hand pump.
Center #3 - Head Start at Windermere: I wanted to check this program out as a sister Head Start program. It was cool to see a Lighthouse (it looks 100% real) as the entrance into the center. The space was colorful and open with a long corridor that offered opportunities for children and adults to visually connect with their environment. Natural light illuminated the space where children spent their time.

In response to comments offered by Jeanne, I have to say that an administrator's role is to provide readings such as "The Hundred is There!" to staff for review and discussion, for reflection and consideration. Administrators need to allocate budget funding assigned specific to materials for space. If possible, administrators need to be highly involved in the process of creating spaces for children, families, and staff. I had that opportunity while planning for an Infant/Toddler center shared by my agency and a partnering agency. I found the experience to be completely rewarding, especially after seeing the facility as a completed center with children actively participating within. Administrators need to remain connected to the program setting, paying close attention to how the space feels in order to keep it alive.
The main criteria is to "reveal the presence of children even in their absence" - that's it in one thought. As important as the community is to the program it serves, I believe the goal of keeping the setting alive is the responsibility of the teacher. The teacher is open to invite the community to provide support in the means of being involved partners.
Carolyn - your comments made me smile and laugh! I savored your sense of humor and could relate completely with your feelings of being overwhelmed at times. I know your program's director (Lynn) and work closely with all Head Start directors within the state. We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to touch so many children that benefit from programs like Head Start.
In most situations in Hawaii, we inherent spaces and accept what settings are presented to us. Our challenge is to alter these settings to enhance aesthetic qualities with a focus on light, texture, natural materials, and how these connect to the physical space. As administrators, we have the flexibility of selecting staff that fill these spaces. When space and teachers combine, the energy and power created together can result in endless possibilities!

The Exchange messages focus on the H1N1 (Oct. 27 - Swine Flu Update and Nov. 4 - H1N1 Flu and Your Program) which is timely as a national health concern. Our program has installed hand sanitizers throughout the office spaces. We're taking other measures, including sending home notices of flu symptoms, what to do if your child gets sick, the importance of handwashing (and handwashing, and handwashing...), and restating our sick child policy. The Nov. 4 message captured the reality of this potential pandemic. Children remain vulnerable candidates of this dangerous illness. I'll continue watching Exchange for more information from a national viewpoint.