Our infant program offers a warm, caring, and safe environment for our youngest children to play, discover, and grow. Through close partnerships with parents and offering guiding hands in the classroom, our “baby room” teachers nurture and support infants during these important first months of life. With individualized daily schedules and routines—designed with a focus on sensory-friendly activities and lots of outdoor time—our little learners develop the skills and confidence necessary to thrive in our toddler program and beyond.
A typical day includes everything from tummy time and water play to rolling up our sleeves for creative art projects. But it’s much more than lounging, splashing, and finger painting. Tummy time builds muscles in the hands and neck – development that is critical for success in the toddler and preschool classrooms where children will be busy playing with Legos, learning to write, and planting seeds in our raised garden beds.
In the infant room, children are continually exposed to various textures, sounds, and visual stimuli to promote sensory development. During the summer we touch and feel the grass in our natural playground. On Halloween, we might explore the inside of a pumpkin. When the flurries accumulate we bring snowballs inside. We believe sensory development is the first step in learning how to process information and communicate.
Believe it or not, we also begin circle time in our infant room to promote the social-emotional growth that is emphasized as children get older. It also sets the stage for more structured group activities in our toddler and preschool classrooms. You can often find us reading and singing together during this fun bonding and learning time.
Through it all, we stay in close contact with parents. At the beginning and end of each day, we communicate through in-person conversations and daily reports in order to best serve the needs of each child.
