A number of factors need to be considered to create a safe and healthy environment for infants and toddlers, including:
Nutrition
Feeding infants
Feeding toddlers
The learning environment is made up of a play area plus the spaces for caregiving activities such as:
Eating
Sleeping
Diapering
Toileting
Developmental appropriateness is important for safety reasons but also to facilitate learning.
What is appropriate for infants is different from what is appropriate for toddlers.
Mixed-age groups, which in family child care homes provide a special set of challenges for making the environment work for everybody.
The toys and materials that are developmentally appropriate vary for each age group.
What should be in the play environment?
Assessment of any infant toddler environment is an ongoing process and requires taking into consideration the factors already mentioned plus looking at five dimensions and four additional considerations, including:
