It is the layer closest to the child and contains the structures with which the child has direct contact. It encompasses the relationships and interactions a child has with her immediate surroundings.

This system encompasses the dimension of time as it relates to a child's environments.

The connection between the child's teacher and his parents and between his church and his neighborhood is an example of this layer.

Parent workplace schedules or community-based family resources are examples of this layer. The child may not be directly involved at this level, but he feels the positive or negative force involved with the interaction with his own system.

At which layer is bi-directional influences are strongest and have the greatest impact on the child?

What theory views child development as a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment