Why should we care about noise in classrooms and child care settings?

Increasing numbers of young children spend extended portions of their days in group care settings. However, little attention has been given to the acoustical properties of these settings and how these may affect development, particularly speech and language development. This article provides a review of how classroom acoustics are measured, what researchers have found, and why poor classroom acoustics are of concern, particularly for infants and toddlers. It concludes with recommendations for improving classroom acoustics and verbal communication in the classroom. © 2001 Human Sciences Press, Inc.