An Intervention to Optimise the Physical and Sensory Early Childhood Education and Care Environment to Support Children’s Social and Emotional Development

This thesis explored the role the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) environment plays in supporting children’s social and emotional development. The research findings informed the development of an intervention ECEC educators, teams and organisations can use to support children’s social and emotional development through the environment. The intervention is an online resource that was developed by combining the research findings with practice knowledge from education and health professionals. The intervention proposes that the environment can be used as a resource to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing in everyday interactions.