Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Standard #9 in the NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards (Links to an external site.). For this discussion, you will need to carefully create an outdoor space, so pay close attention to the standard requirements.

As the new teacher’s assistant at Bright Futures Early Learning Center, your teacher and director see so much potential in you. Because of this, they would like you to help with administrative tasks as well as work with the children in the infant to Pre-K facility.

Your director knows that your current classroom is meeting NAEYC Standards; however, they want you to help enhance this classroom and the facility so Bright Futures Early Learning Center earns a 5-star rating.

Using the PowerPoint attached, a scratch piece of paper, or any other sketching tools, brainstorm a very basic outdoor space that can work for all ages. Carefully consider NAEYC Standard #9 as you build your outdoor space.

In your initial post,

• Describe the space that you created and justify your design using NAEYC Standard #9.
• Address all five bullet points from NAEYC Standard #9 and discuss how your design meets each requirement.
• To help give your peers a visual of your idea, attach the image of your design to your discussion response. (This is recommended, but not required.)

Guided Response: Review your classmates’ posts and select one of your classmates to respond to. You will respond taking on the role of the center’s director. Respond to the following questions (and please remember to be professional with your constructive criticism):

• Do you believe this arrangement is aligned with NAEYC Standard #9 requirements? Why or why not?
• What did you like about the outdoor space?
• What else should be included in the outdoor space? Why?
• Is there anything you would like to change about the outdoor space?