The work of Sarah Lawrence College’s Early Childhood Center (ECC) is deeply collaborative — and deeply thoughtful. Through strategic partnerships within and outside the College, the ECC recently set out to re-envision its outdoor play spaces to foster learning and spark imagination among both the young children who attend its programs and the educators and researchers dedicated to their success.
To do so, the ECC and the Child Development Institute (CDI), both components of the College's Children, Childhood, and Education Collaborative, engaged in a partnership with North Carolina State University's Natural Learning Initiative. Together, they designed outdoor play environments that removed the large plastic and metal play structures, embraced the wonder of nature, and emphasized natural materials and loose parts.
“The old playground structures took up a lot of space and dictated how children should play,” explained ECC Director Lorayne Carbon. “We wanted to foster more imaginative, self-directed forms of play.” Once the structures were gone, children began engaging more deeply with their environment.
“From two to six years old, the best way to learn is through play,” said Kathryn Litonjua MA ’25, lead student researcher on the project. “Children make their own meaning of the world through play, and the open yards allow for more creativity.”
This redesign presented an opportunity to conduct a longitudinal research project observing the children's play through all stages of design, implementation, and beyond. In the spring of 2023, prior to construction, graduate and undergraduate students began recording observations of the children’s play in each of the yards. These observations, along with direct input from the ECC teachers and children, informed the design choices made in each yard and the group's understanding of the redesign’s impact. The observations also provided SLC undergraduate and graduate students with valuable research experience.
Imagination at the ground level
Children deserve quality materials — and the children at the ECC, equipped with rain pants and rain boots, know exactly where to find the best dirt for their mud kitchens. The redesign plans deliberately left the yard bare the first year to observe where children naturally gravitated. Moveable elements — tree stumps, wood slices, wooden planks, and tires — were gradually introduced, allowing teachers to work alongside children to co-create evolving play spaces. The result was a stronger connection to the natural world.
Their discoveries have been enhanced as the Kober and Wilford yards have undergone more changes throughout this second year of the project. A small hut — constructed from live willow branches and designed to take root and grow into a living, leafy shelter — has been planted. “Children love spaces that feel private,” said Lorayne. A dry riverbed, two footbridges, an old-fashioned hand water pump, and boulders are among the additions in the yards.
This summer, pathways were constructed in the Kober yard for opportunities to use riding toys. A dry river bed and outdoor classroom platform are planned for the Wilford yard. As the research continues, input from the findings will be incorporated into the plans.
Grown-ups on the playground
The ECC provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at Sarah Lawrence to gain experience as part of their fieldwork for the Art of Teaching and Child Development master’s programs. Several undergraduate courses also have fieldwork requirements for students to spend a semester at the ECC as a participant-observers.
“The ECC has been the highlight of my time here,” said Lilly Rushe ’25 MSEd ’27. “The community is incredible. I’ve always felt at home, and I learn something every single day from the teachers, the children, the parents, and the fieldwork students.”
Interested in getting involved?
- Prospective and Current Students: Explore opportunities with the Children, Childhood and Education Collaborative.
- Parents: Learn more about the Early Childhood Center.