One of the key components of high-quality child care is a room that is well-organized and orderly. The CLASS Assessment Scoring System – a common test of preschool and daycare quality — refers to this as ‘Classroom Organization’. Classroom organization refers to the scheduling, transitions, and orderliness of a preschool classroom.
You may be thinking, are there classrooms full of toddlers that ARE orderly? Well, this may be a surprise but yes there are! And orderliness in a classroom is an extremely important factor that sets the stage for the emotional and academic development that young children need.
How can a parent tell if a daycare is well-organized?
One easy clue is the level of noise. Now, all child care classrooms are going to get extremely loud from time to time. However, the teachers in these classrooms should be able to calm and quiet the children when it is called for. And if they can’t? Disorganized and loud classrooms can lead to higher cortisol levels in children which raises their overall stress levels.
So when you’re touring child care programs, pay attention to the teachers’ ability to bring calm to the children in their classroom. The ability to do that means that they have the basic skills necessary to provide more advanced care to your kids. This advanced care builds their emotional fortitude and potential for academic achievement.
How do routines and schedules impact daycare classroom organization?
Consistent routines and schedules are an important part of daycare classroom organization. Without schedules, the delicate balance of a daycare classroom can be thrown off by the littlest unexpected event. We’ll-organized daycare classrooms are those that have a consistent routine that is clearly communicated to the children. Part of that routine should include a plan for when the day doesn’t go as expected.
As a parent, you’ll want to observe how the daycare program and the teacher establish a routine. This routine should include being able to bring the class back to the routine when things go off-kilter. A skilled teacher should be able to do both of these with ease, without resorting to yelling or anger.
How does the classroom environment impact daycare organization?
Daycare classrooms with good organization are ones that layout the environment in a way that flows with the daily life of the classroom. These classrooms have different areas for different parts of the day, like reading and learning, playing, food preparation and eating, and resting. Organized daycare classrooms are also ones that have enough tools to engage children like books and toys without having so much that the classroom becomes messy and chaotic.
Parents should look for daycares that are organized into different areas. Daycare classrooms with different areas allow children to easily know what happens in each area. The equipment in each area should be appropriately sized for the age of the children in the daycare classroom. A well-organized daycare classroom will seem inviting and stimulating without being too much.