Building Environments That Encourage Positive Behavior: The Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment (website) This article from NAEYC emphasizes creating positive environments in preschool classrooms and introduces a teacher self-assessment tool—the Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment

Learning Environments (website) and Responsive Learning Environments (website) Explore resources from the Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center about creating learning environments that are responsive to the needs of young children and their families.

A Framework for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating P-3 Approaches (website) from The National P-3 Center provides research, reviews, practical strategies, and guidance for creating meaningful and tangible change in communities. The Framework in Action: Learning Environment (website) is one of the essential elements in this framework.

Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development (website), a working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. This paper describes how the built and natural environments, as well as the systemic factors that shape those environments, have an impact on children’s development and lifelong health.

FirstSchool Design Guide: Optimal Learning Environments for Children Three to Eight (website) A guide developed by Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute describes the rationale, principles, examples, technical considerations, and design specifications.

Scientific evidence supports key principles of early learning environments (website) An Evidence brief from Trust for Learning outlines scientific research supporting the principles of ideal learning environments, which promote equitable and developmental early childhood education models that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual communities and children.

Creating the Learning Environment (website) A free self-paced module from Resources for Early Learning that explores how to create a learning environment that supports children’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development.

Making Your Environment “The Third Teacher” by Margie Carter (pdf) An Exchange article by Margie Carter that explores the power of the environment as an educational tool, highlighting the importance of creating an environment that fosters desired learning outcomes and how we want them to feel. Despite the article’s age, the content aligns with both the NAEYC’s Developmentally Appropriate Practices and the DEC’s Recommended Practices.

Setting the Tone: Using Intention to Plan Your Classroom Climate (pdf) Every learning environment has its own tone and a general feeling of mood. It is often referred to as the classroom climate, and like other areas of the classroom environment, the classroom climate can be created through thoughtful planning. This article, adapted from the August 2023 4K newsletter, describes using intention to create a positive classroom environment.

Updated 2/22/2024