Infancy is a very special time in life when a child requires a consistent group of people who will see to their basic needs in a loving, safe, and stimulating environment, which is necessary to a healthy beginning. We respect the individuality of each child, and support their earliest milestones; encouraging the cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth and development of each child at his/her own rate in his/her own way. Caregivers spend the majority of their time on the floor interacting with infants at their level. Our small groups (infant to teacher ratio in our infant program is 4 to 1, with a maximum of 8 infants in this room) and excellent staff provide individual attention and detailed information about your baby's day. Other key elements of our infant environment include, but are not limited too: safety, freedom to explore within reasonable boundaries, responsive toys which do interesting things when manipulated, and toys and materials always kept within the child's reach. Our infant program includes many activities that focus on the child becoming more familiar with his/her world through looking, listening, touching, communicating, moving, discovering, and solving. Some examples of these activities include: simple puzzles, music (singing, dance, clapping), age appropriate games, books, manipulatives that engage all of the senses, and learning to roll, scoot, crawl, sit, stand, and walk.
Teachers in the infant room use The Creative Curriculum, by Diane Trister Dodge, to guide curriculum decisions in their classrooms. This curriculum guide is now in its 4th edition with recommendations by many well-known experts in the field of early childhood education. We have found it to be right in line with our own theory of best practice in working with young children. You will find a copy of The Creative Curriculum in our parent resource lending library if you are interested in finding out more!
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