At the centre, children can navigate easily from the welcome area to the different areas of permanent provision and have free-flow access to the outdoors. Resources are easily accessible and clearly labelled, so promoting the children's freedom of choice in what they do and fostering their independence.
Staff at the centre believe that the environment should be organic, responding to children's changing needs and interests. 'You also need to be reflective and responsive to how the children use the environment,' says Ms White. 'It shouldn't be static.'
In response to the children's recent interest in princesses, staff headed to a local wine shop for wine boxes, which the children then used to build a castle. Since then, the castle has become a police station, reverted to a castle and, as Christmas approached, become a stable. 'It will be there for as long as there is an interest in it,' says Ms White. 'The children can transform it into whatever they want it to be, and that's its power.'
The centre attaches particular importance to the welcome area and its adjoining cosy corner where parents can relax, spend time with their children or browse through information on children's learning. 'I feel some settings don't attach enough importance to how parents feel,' says Ms White.
Recently the centre has repositioned its welcome area, to enable parents and children to enter via a wide corridor with coat pegs on each side and so eliminate the congestion that had occurred during the morning handover.
Ms White explains, 'For me, it's terribly important to start the day well, and the start of the session has become much calmer. If you get it wrong, the child will be unsettled for the rest of the day and parents too won't be reassured that their children will settle.'
