Explain the factors to consider when planning a safe, but challenging environment for children.

• Explain the factors to consider when planning a safe, but challenging environment for children.

The environment plays a major part in children’s safety, learning and development. Not only the material objects within an environment, but the emotional and social environment accounts also.

“The health and safety of the environment is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of the children and in creating an enabling environment. In an enabling environment, babies and children will feel emotionally safe and secure, and will develop and learn most effectively.”

Health and safety is one of the most important factors to consider when a practitioner provides an appropriate environment for learning and development. All staffs should have a responsibility for ensuring health and safety in their environment at all time. All staffs should meet minimum requirements for space within the room environments and staffs ratios. “These requirements will initially be calculated by ofsted when the setting is first registered, and they will provide a maximum number of children allowed in setting at any one time. This will also be broken down into how many children can be present in any one room at one time, depending on the age of the children.”

“Children learn and develop well in enabling environment, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers” (EY – Development Matters Document)

Meeting staff ratios is important because this ensuring the safety of the children by making sure children can be safety supervised whilst in their environment. “Failure to meet these ratios could cause accidents or injuries, as staff members would find it difficult to care for and surprise a larger number of children. “

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“Children from birth to two years require 3.5m² space per child, at least half of the remaining staff members must be qualified to at least a recognised level two child care qualification. Child aged two to three years old require 2.5m² space per child, at least one practitioner must be qualified to level three. Children aged three and above require 2.3m² space per child, at least on practitioner must hold a level three qualification.” There are major pieces of health and safety legislations that play a role on the provision of an environment and must be followed by all employers.

• Explain the practitioners’ role within the wider, multi –agency environment.

The role of the practitioner within a wider, multi-agency environment is to value and recognise the importance of this wider network for children. “Valuing this wider network demonstrates respect for the individual needs and characteristics of the child and family and enables all members of the community to work together.”

Wider community plays role in children’s development and learning. “When a child has been identified as having additional needs, other professionals are a vital part of their care learning and development and will work in partnership with practitioners within the setting.”

“The role of the practitioner has been identified as important in the provision of an enabling environment for children, with the practitioner holding an important role in the wider, multi-agency environment.”

• Describe the regulatory requirements that must be followed when organising an environment for children in the early years.

The regulatory requirements that must be followed when organising an environment for children in the early years is the process of identifying any additional needs a child may have early in order to organise the best possible care and intervention for the children. “Practitioner has concerns around any area of a child’s development”. “The employer has overall responsibility for ensuring that health and safety is implemented”.

All staff is responsible for ensuring health and safety at workplace is observed. “The building must be appropriately maintained and be suitable for purpose”. The environment should be clean, safe and appropriate for everyone in the setting. All equipments must be used safely. Accidents must be recorded and reported. The act also provides protection for employees is personal protection for employees is personal protective equipment must be provided free of charge and employees should be given instruction on its use, a safe working environment must be provided, first aid facilities must be provided.

“COSHH is the law that all employers must follow in regards to harmful substances. All workplaces use harmful substances and the COSHH regulations are in place to ensure the safe use and storage of these materials”.

All staff must carry out a COSHH risk assessment this because to identifying the potential risk of explosive to any harmful substance. All staff must ensure safety for the children by ensuring high levels of security across their premises, doors at the setting should be locked at all times. “Practitioners also need to make sure that the toys and resources they provide to the children are appropriate for their age and stage of development”.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the environment in meeting children’s individual needs.

Every setting should work closely with parents and multi-agencies. All setting should be aware of the support and services that other agencies provide, practitioners will support parents/carers to access these services. As a practitioner I should know that whenever I prepare environment for children or young people, I must know it’s important to consider their age and stage of development. I also need to ensure that the experiences and play opportunities offered carer the areas of development outlined in the EYFS. I also need to consider whether the environment meets the needs of the individual children. I should know children develop at different rates. As a practitioner I should know that some children will need more challenging activities while others may need a different type of activity or different resources. I should observe individual children to see how they engage with the environment will help me to plan appropriately.

The most important activities during the day, such as playing, eating, sleeping, washing hands and going to the bathroom. “Children need to explore equipment and learn basic knowledge through direct experience”.

Children with disabilities should be given the opportunity to take risks in their own play. As for with other children this will enable them to develop their self-esteem and confidence.

“It is often difficult for parents to allow children with physical disabilities or medical conditions, such as epilepsy, to engage in physical play or ‘rough and tumble’ activities for fear of injury or seizure. They may therefore need reassurance to allow their children to participate.”

“The emotional environment extends further than the furniture and resources contained within a space, and looks at feelings and emotions of the children within the learning environment”.

The indoor environment have an immediate effect for children, this is when they will spend a large amount of their time. “The indoor environment should support the many different types of play that will support children’s learning and development”.

“The EY values children’s independence and encourages child-initiated play and active learning. This needs to be reflected in the environment by organising toys and resources at child height to encourage children to access resources they wish to explore”.

“The outdoor environment holds equal value to the indoor environment and provides many opportunities for learning and development. The outdoor environment provides a new context for learning to take place within and provides new opportunities”.