Talking Early Years: In conversation with Jen Singer
A Right to be Children: The Importance of the Design Architecture
Good architecture combines the practical with something less tangible; a sense of delight in the spaces which make up a building as a whole, which may even modify the moods of its users in a positive way. If designed skilfully, a building will help to make children’s experience of their early year’s care a secure yet varied one - Mark Dudek (2001)
The importance of architecture to Early Years is often misunderstood. The building is part of the enabling environment and needs to be designed to support learning by creating the right environment and resources both indoors and outside. They are also integral to meeting the sustainability pillars; economic, social and environments in their design for example where they are situated, and how they support local communities and the local biodiversity. Nowadays, people are thinking even more about the towns and cities, the city of play and how to make them child friendly and position schools and nurseries as community catalysts.
In Early Years Education and Care (EYEC), we want fairly basic design shapes because quirky features, beloved of architects, such as curved walls, pillars, crazy lighting or glass bricks are often unhelpful. For example, I speak from experience when I bemoan the curved wall which become the collection point for toys and objects posted by children exploring their posting schema. Or rooms where all the lights come on simultaneously which creates the same ambience as a hospital theatre, are far from ideal when trying to create the nuanced lighting needed to manage moments of stress and mood changes. Building in corners for dens is always something I ask to have in a design. Children can spend up to 10 hours in a setting and need a space just to be alone and recoup their emotional energy in a quiet space.
Colour is also an issue. I am still saddened by settings that are a cacophony of loud colours, or walls with murals where the children cannot impose their work on the setting and are over-stimulated by their environment. It’s not so long ago that we learned about how babies’ brains respond better to black and white rather than insipid pastels.
I have long drawn on the work of Mark Dudek to inform my thinking about architecture to support children’s learning, however, Jen has introduced me to David and Mary Medd from Hertfordshire who have been emphasising the importance of educational design since the 1950’s. They were very influential in coordinating a very important piece of work called “A Right to be Children” which I think was the first time we developed some regulations for the size and design of nurseries. I highlight the current debate about how room measurements were established and how some providers want the outside space included in the setting measurements. One for discussion!
Resources are also important. For example, I like trough sinks because they are less wasteful of water and encourage social skills as children learn to share the space. The influence of Maria Montessori’s real home furniture in child sizes is de-rigeur in most settings.
Do you remember when we were encouraged to create heuristic baskets, inspired by Elinor Goldsmith’s example of what often happens at home – famously described as ’emptying the kitchen drawer onto the floor’. I insist on a faux leather sofa (ease of cleaning!) in all the LEYF nurseries which provides an emotional environment where staff can cuddle up and enjoy a chat or a story and parents have somewhere cosy to sit while they wait for their children to get ready to leave. Jen also references the importance of children having their personal space like hooks and bags which she learned when she worked with Alison Clark (who is also available on the Talking Early Years podcast on slow pedagogy).
As the marketing of Scandi design and nice resources proliferate and more people invest in setting up chains of nurseries, we must guard against the nursery becoming a show room for parents who are delighted by twee, pretty designed spaces. These are often showcased when they are empty of children and curated with carefully placed resources some of which are probably more fit for the child’s bedroom than a practical busy child-focused pedagogical space.
Gardens are often central to our conversations. Children thrive outdoors, needing little more than grass, trees, and plants, finding joy in the simple act of lying on the grass and gazing up at the sky. However, some children are less fortunate, living in cramped flats or uninspiring concrete housing estates. For these children, access to a well-designed garden space is essential for their wellbeing. In fact, a thoughtfully designed garden can become a joyful and inclusive space, particularly well-suited for children with SEND.
