Introduction
The issue of ensuring the safety of the educational environment has always been important for educational institutions, but recently it has become particularly acute and relevant in our country. This is due to a number of factors cited by researchers who have studied the changes that have occurred in recent decades in the current development situation and in the characteristics and qualities acquired by modern children during their development (Baeva, 2012; Kleiberg, Deulin, 2025; Smirnova et al., 2022, etc.).
Undoubtedly, the safety of the subject‑developmental component of the educational environment (V. A. Yasvin, V. I. Panov, et al.) is important, especially when it comes to the environment of a preschool educational organization (hereinafter — PEO), which has its own specific features (Kukushkina, 2022, 2023). After all, this is a place where preschoolers spend quite a long time — a group of children who, due to their age characteristics, are not yet sufficiently independent or agile in moving around the space, but are active and curious.
The definition of the developmental subject‑spatial environment of a preschool educational organization (hereinafter — DSSE) is given in regulatory documents — the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES) and the Federal Educational Program (FEP) for Preschool Education: it is “a part of the educational environment and a factor that significantly enriches children’s development… The DSSE represents the unity of specially organized spaces — both external (the PEO territory) and internal (group rooms, specialized, technological, administrative, and other spaces), materials, equipment, electronic educational resources, and tools for teaching and educating preschool children, protecting and promoting their health, as well as materials for organizing children’s independent creative activities”. It is obvious that when addressing the issue of the safety of the educational environment, each element of the spatial‑subject component must eliminate or minimize the likelihood of threats and risks to the life, health, and development of every child.
When considering the issue of DSSE safety, it is impossible not to note that it includes two aspects. The first one, let us call it the “physical” aspect, is determined by the need for the preschool educational organization to primarily ensure conditions for preserving children’s lives and health. In fact, when discussing the safety of the subject‑spatial environment, it is predominantly this “physical” aspect that is meant, which is undoubtedly an important and priority task for every PEO: minimizing the likelihood of children getting injured, reducing the incidence of illnesses, and eliminating negative impacts on their health. In this regard, a sufficient number of regulatory documents have been developed, which set out mandatory requirements, clear criteria, and indicators of safety. One of such governmental subordinate regulatory legal acts (along with documents on fire safety, anti‑terrorism security, labor protection, etc.) are the SanPiNs — sanitary norms and rules. They contain the norms and rules according to which the activities of an educational organization should be conducted: requirements for the daily routine of pupils, organization of meals and medical services, hygiene, and the spatial‑subject environment, including equipment and materials (material base, PEO territory, play and walking areas). Compliance with the requirements of these documents is strictly monitored not only by the heads of preschool institutions themselves but also by government organizations (for example, Rospotrebnadzor).
The second aspect is no less important, as it is related to the need to ensure favorable conditions for children’s development. Let us call it the psychological aspect. O. M. Dyachenko noted that in a kindergarten setting, children acquire a wide range of experience in emotional and practical interaction with adults and peers in the most important areas of life for their development. And the creation of a subject‑developmental environment in a group expands the possibilities for organizing and enriching such experience (Educational Work…, 2001). This becomes possible due to the fact that this component of the educational environment includes, along with group rooms and other spaces, a variety of materials and equipment “for organizing children’s independent creative activities”. The DSSE acts as “the foundation for diverse, all‑round developing, meaningful, and attractive activities for each child” (FSES for Preschool Education, clauses 31.1, 31.2). Each educational institution, when organizing the space (along with complying with sanitary and hygienic requirements), pays special attention to filling it with toys and play equipment, educational and methodological materials, etc., as well as to their placement in group rooms and throughout the PEO.
However, regarding the issue of educational environment safety, the “psychological” aspect is hardly mentioned in the publications we have analyzed. In this context, the question arises: what does DSSE safety mean from the perspective of preschoolers’ development, and can we discuss it not only in terms of preserving children’s lives and health?
The psychological aspect of the DSSE
The issues of organizing the subject environment have been addressed in quite a large number of psychological and pedagogical works (S. L. Novoselova, N. N. Poddyakov, L. Klarina, et al.) and were studied even in the early stages of the formation of Russian preschool education. Mostly, they served as the rationale for methodological recommendations for teachers on creating a spatial‑subject environment that performs a developmental function.
One of the first domestic developments can be called a system of toys and didactic aids that should correspond to the age and psychological‑pedagogical characteristics of children. They were intended to form the initial culture of thinking for children of early and preschool ages (S. L. Novoselova, N. N. Poddyakov).
The developmental function of the subject environment and the necessity to take into account the age characteristics of a child (“ergonomics of childhood”) were also mentioned in the Concept of Preschool Education (1989), developed under the guidance of V. A. Petrovsky and V. V. Davydov: “A high culture of interior design in relation to a child is not a luxury but a condition for building a ‘developing environment’. Enriching the forms of a child’s life in kindergarten requires more flexible and variable use of space” (Concept of Preschool Education, 1989).
In addition, the authors highlighted another function of the subject environment: it “should be subordinated to the goal of the child’s psychological well‑being… adapted to meet the needs and interests of the child themselves, so that they can constantly feel like the rightful owner of toys, move freely around the kindergarten, and enjoy the lives of the children and adults around them” (Concept of Preschool Education, 1989). That is, the subject‑spatial environment is designed to provide one of the conditions for a child’s development — psychological well‑being.
Methodological recommendations on organizing the DSSE, developed by S. L. Novoselova (1995) and containing important conceptual provisions, played a significant role in the development of ideas about the DSSE. The foundation was the activity‑age approach and “ideas about the subject nature of activity, its development, and significance for the mental and personal development of a child” (Novoselova, 1995, p. 5). Novoselova considered the subject environment to be “a powerful enriching factor of children’s development” and defined it as “a system of material objects of a child’s activity, functionally modeling the content of the development of their spiritual and physical appearance” (Novoselova, 1995, p. 11). According to S. L. Novoselova, the subject environment should meet “the patterns of activity development and pedagogical tasks of educating children of different ages” and represent “a system of subject environments rich in games, toys, aids, and equipment, materials for organizing children’s independent creative activities” (Novoselova, 1995, p. 11). Cultural landscapes (park, garden), subject‑play environment, children’s library, play library and video library, design studio, computer‑play complex, and others were identified as subject environments. Subject environments should address both current and upcoming developmental tasks.
And it is very important, as S. L. Novoselova noted, that the design of the components of the subject environment must be scientifically grounded.
Studying modern works devoted to the issue of the DSSE allows us to say that the issues of organizing the subject environment remain relevant. They mostly present descriptions of pedagogical experience in organizing the subject environment in accordance with the educational program (Nurieva, 2024, etc.); reviews of approaches to organizing the DSSE and methodological recommendations (Dybina, 2015; Shakirova, 2018; Skorolupova, 2023; Gumennaya, 2025, etc.); features of creating a subject environment in combined groups (Druzhinina, 2017; Plaksina, 2006; Nikiforova, Voshchenko, 2023, etc.). Empirical studies with reliable results confirming the claims often found in publications that the DSSE influences a child’s development have not been discovered. One could cite, for example, works on studying modern toys and their impact on the specifics of children’s play (Smirnova, Sokolova, 2019; Klopotova, Smirnova, 2022; Klopotova et al. (2023), however, such toys are not present in the play environment of Russian kindergartens.
At the same time, the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES) and the Federal Educational Programme for Preschool Education (FEP‑PE) outline the characteristics, principles, and requirements for a developmental subject‑spatial environment. These can be seen as the results of a thorough analysis and synthesis of the practical experience of preschool educational organisations (PEOs).
Thus, when creating a developmental subject‑spatial environment (DSSE), a number of parameters must be taken into account: «the local ethnopsychological, sociocultural, cultural‑historical, and natural‑climatic conditions in which the PEO is located; the age, level of development of children and the specifics of their activities; the content of education; the objectives of the educational programme for different age groups; the capabilities and needs of participants in the educational process» (FEP‑PE, clause 31.5).
On the safety of the developmental subject‑spatial environment (DSSE)
The importance of ensuring the safety of the DSSE as an integrated system of conditions — based on the notions of physical and psychological aspects — allows us to identify several problem areas.
First, the scientific validity of the principles and requirements for organising the subject environment in kindergarten.
The psychological aspect of the DSSE is determined, firstly, by creating conditions necessary for children to engage in various activities that are attractive to them, allowing them to meet their needs and demonstrate their abilities. However, it is difficult to speak with certainty about the influence of the subject environment on child development at present.
Subject environments created in preschool educational organisations (PEOs) include objects whose significance for the development of children of a certain age has been experimentally proven. For example, for children in the second junior group (ages 3–4), it is recommended to use play equipment for sensory development; toys and materials with predefined ways of use; construction sets; and simple puzzles that stimulate thinking processes (research by A. V. Zaporozhets, L. A. Venger, N. N. Poddyakov, et al.).
The principles of space organisation are based on the developmental characteristics of activities and behaviour in specific age groups. For instance, for children aged three, it is necessary to create a sufficiently large space to meet their need for active movement.
Research findings on child development only indirectly — not directly — allow us to discuss the developmental role of the subject environment and its mediated influence on preschoolers’ development. This circumstance necessitates studies that would reliably demonstrate the link between the DSSE and children’s mental development. Addressing this issue is already highly problematic at the design stage — for example, when forming control and experimental groups. Even if designing a study based on comparing different subject environments (e.g., Montessori groups, Waldorf kindergartens), it is difficult to neutralise the influence of other factors on child development.
Perhaps, when justifying the organisation of the DSSE, we should say that the subject environment does not directly influence children’s development but creates the possibility for it through the conditions provided. This possibility is realised only through the child’s active engagement with the environment’s content.
Second, ensuring conditions within the DSSE for children’s emotional well‑being.
Undoubtedly, this task is partially addressed by «filling» the subject environment with content that allows children to choose, organise, and engage in various activities, meet their needs, and spend time enthusiastically in kindergarten. However, certain facts should be taken into account and not disregarded.
Pedagogical recommendations for organising the DSSE specify one requirement: alignment with the objectives of the educational programme. This is implemented by including educational and play materials that correspond to these objectives (e.g., developing mathematical concepts, familiarising children with the surrounding world and professions, etc.). Given that the main educational programme (MEP) of kindergarten includes five educational areas and a rather extensive list of objectives (in accordance with the Federal Educational Programme for Preschool Education, FEP‑PE), we can assume that the subject environment may become overloaded with information. Consequently, this leads to the formalisation of the DSSE organisation process and/or increased emotional tension among children.
Moreover, when creating a subject environment, it is essential to consider the impact of external characteristics on a child’s well‑being within it. Here, we should recall well‑known foreign studies from the 1980s by W. Malke and N. Schwart, who found that often «spatial characteristics of premises, lighting and colour solutions, and acoustic data do not take into account children’s developmental features and prospects, or their differentiated needs» (Furyaeva, 2023).
S. L. Novoselova effectively argued that when designing a subject environment, «child ergonomics» must be considered: «such design should be carried out by specialists: architects, including landscape architects; designers, ergonomists, with the participation of psychologists, educators, and hygienists» (Novoselova, 1995, p. 17).
Third, ensuring the psychological safety of the DSSE itself.
Based on the understanding of «safety» as «the presence of certain conditions necessary for life, development, and activity» (Baeva, 2024, p. 5) and the thesis that «a safe educational environment supports a person’s state of psychological safety» (Baeva, 2024, p. 7), we can say that the psychological safety of the DSSE is determined by the conditions necessary for children’s development and activity — specifically, the presence in the subject environment of opportunities to engage in activities attractive to children and ensuring their emotional well‑being.
Conclusion
One of the requirements for implementing an educational programme in a preschool organisation is the safety of the DSSE: «The safety of the subject‑spatial environment implies that all its elements meet the requirements for reliability and safety of their use» (Federal State Educational Standard, FSES, clause 3.3.46). It is clear that at the regulatory level, the need to ensure safety is закреплён primarily in the physical aspect.
The FSES and the FEP for preschool education do not impose «strict requirements for organising the DSSE and leave PEOs the right to design it independently» (FEP‑PE, clause 31.3). In practice, today the psychological safety of the DSSE is not ensured in any way. There are no scientifically grounded criteria in this area of educational environment safety, nor any obligations for PEOs.
Therefore, the independent arrangement of children’s «living space» by preschool organisations is a highly challenging task, which does not contribute to creating an optimal subject environment for child development. Furthermore, our analysis has shown that there is a clear deficit of scientific research and theoretical discussions on the psychological component of DSSE safety.
Hence, an urgent task in this area is to define the regulatory and scientific foundations of psychological safety in the developmental subject‑spatial environment of preschool educational organisations, along with clear criteria. This will enable the successful creation and maintenance of optimal conditions for children’s development within the educational environment of preschool institutions.