Chapter 12 presents contrasting environments and then moves to focusing on health and safety,

Chapter 12 presents contrasting environments and then moves to focusing on health and safety, because those are primary concerns in any caregiving environment. Checklists are good tools to help you evaluate the health and safety of an environment to ensure you don’t forget something important. Health and safety aren’t the only concerns, though. In addition to ensuring children’s health and safety, the caregiving environment should also promote learning in both the play areas and the areas where caregiving routines are carried out.

The developmental appropriateness of the environment relates to both safety and learning. When setting up or maintaining a learning environment, the children who use it and the age span of the group must be considered. Although many center-based programs narrow the age span by grouping according to developmental level, mixed-age group programs also exist. Family child care homes often have a wider age span than center- based programs.

Caregivers and others