ABSTRACT
Awareness of the relationship between space and the resultant behavior of those who live and play therein was the outcome of a research project conducted by members of the Pacific Oaks faculty, funded by the US Children’s Bureau. Narrow age-range grouping might also support this goal, since it would tend to negate the learner — teacher relationship which often develops between younger and older children. Scheduling special trips may also help make the usefulness of teachers obvious to children. A cooperative nursery school program probably has primary concern with such things as helping children develop social skills, creativity, and self-sufficiency. Cooperatives also typically need to provide opportunities for parents to learn more about children and child development. When space is good, the content and organization help achieve goals in two ways. On the one hand, the space makes it easy for goal-related behavior to occur; and on the other, the space itself neither forces behavior which is contrary to goals.
