SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used in training teaching staff. The present text is the fourth book in the series. This book is a guide for developing the physical environment of a day care center. It provides suggestions for furnishing classrooms and designing playgrounds, and summarizes the properties of learning center environments. Chapter 1 discusses the updating of indoor environments. Chapters 2 through 7 offer suggestions on arranging classroom areas for: (1) block play; (2) housekeeping or dramatic play; (3) library activities, including reading, listening, and writing; (4) art activities; (5) playing with table toys; and (6) sand and water play. Chapter 8 describes several methods of rotating children through classroom learning centers. Ways to save money when furnishing and maintaining learning centers, and ways to keep learning centers interesting, are suggested in Chapter 9. Chapter 10 discusses playground improvement. The chapter includes a playground maintenance checklist and pictures that illustrate various playground activities. (BC)