Everyday Places & Spaces: Briefs and Resources

Informal Literacy-Rich Learning Environments for Children & Families

A Whole Child Approach

The Everyday Places & Spaces coalition firmly supports the education, public health, and school health sectors calling for greater alignment that includes, integration and collaboration between education leaders and health sectors to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and better support a child’s ability to successfully achieve grade-level reading.

Through the whole-child approach to learning, children are immersed in learning environments intended to foster a sense of community and encourage interpersonal skills, problem-solving, goal setting, creativity, autonomy, and self-accountability. Education is typically fixed on standardized tests, grading, and other means of assessing progress towards rigid measures of academic success. By moving away from this model, students are able to develop a sense of belonging, an understanding of self, and an awareness of their place in (and impact on) the world around them in safe, fun, learning-rich environments.

There are five tenants to the whole child approach to learning, teaching, and community engagement according to ASCD and the CDC:

  • Healthy – A child enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle
  • Safe – A child learns in a physically and emotionally safe environment for students and adults
  • Engaged – Students actively engage in learning and connect to the school and broader community
  • Supported – Students are able to access personalized learning and be supported by qualified, caring adults
  • Challenged – Students are challenged academically for career pursuits to be critical thinkers in a global environment

Below are a number of websites and articles that unpack what the Whole Child Approach entails. Due to the significance of community participation and input, the Everyday Places & Spaces coalition members can be seen to connect the dots when developing informal, inclusive learning environments when children are out of school and employing the notion of learning happening everywhere.