---

Preschool Outdoor Environment Measurement Scale (POEMS®)

POEMS (Preschool Outdoor Environment Measurement Scale) is a tool to assess the quality of early childhood outdoor environments, a self-study resource for teachers and administrators, and a design and planning guide for those intending to improve the quality of children's outdoor preschool environments. POEMS is the result of a four-year effort by an interdisciplinary team of early childhood educators, a design researcher, and a health and safety consultant.

POEMS recognizes the growing importance of the outdoor environment in child development and is designed to provide direction to teachers and administrators who want to offer high-quality outdoor programs to preschool (age 3-5) children.

POEMS includes a user guide, a scale and scoring protocol, reliability and validity information, and a technical assistance manual for program improvement and planning. Additional scoring protocols are sold separately.

POEMS contains 56 items grouped in five domains: Physical Environment, Interactions, Play and Learning Settings, Program, and Teacher/Caregiver Role.

POEMS does not either duplicate or incorporate existing health and safety measures, guidelines or standards but serves as a companion to local rules and regulations and national guidelines.

POEMS is designed to address quality issues not covered by current measures of health or safety and should be used only at childcare programs that meet state health and safety licensing regulations.

Kaplan Early Learning Company publishes POEMS. For details and ordering information, visit: www.kaplanco.com/

---