Infant Classrooms
Infant classrooms serve children ages 6 weeks up to 18 months.
Nurturing Developmental Milestones and Responsive Care
There are ten babies enrolled in each classroom with three Infant Nursery Supervisor (INS) teachers. These classrooms enroll ages 6 weeks up to about 10 months, throughout the year, based on space available and begin to transition into the toddler rooms around 16-18 months allowing the children to connect with the teachers and fellow students. This classroom curriculum focuses on each baby’s developmental milestones. The teachers work to mimic the schedule that parents have set at home with Responsive Care as their priority. Lesson plans are created to provide activities for each student that challenge him/or her to attain a new skill.
Our Approach
Movement
Much of your baby’s energy early on will go toward building gross motor ability, as he learns to hold up his head, roll over, push up off the ground, sit up, stand, walk, climb, etc. Successful development in this area sets the stage for strength and coordination later in life, which are necessary to enjoy sports, dance, or daily life recreational activities.
For babies to fully learn to do all these things, they must have time, space, and freedom to move, so that they can practice each individual step along the way. The classroom reflects many opportunities for the children to move and explore as their body changes through the year.
Relationships
Your baby is trying new things all the time. Each time your baby practices a new skill, and then masters it, she strengthens the sense of confidence that will stay with her throughout her lifetime. As a baby imitates others, she can begin to take small steps towards independent self-care. Your teachers will use responsive caregiving to gently support your baby to learn to do things for herself, striking just the right balance between making your little one feel safe and loved, and identifying the right moment to encourage her to try something new.
Language Development
We know the extreme importance of exposing your baby to rich spoken language and dynamic verbal interactions, in order to give his developing brain everything needed to master language. Our interactions with your baby are vibrant and meaningful. We describe what he is doing, what we are doing, and what other children are doing, making sure that he can watch the movements of our mouths as we speak.
As your baby becomes more familiar with precise language, he also begins to form connections between language, tone, and his own emotions. We expose your baby to as much vocabulary as possible, by clearly identifying objects and actions. Additionally, we read beautiful books about real people and things, we use sign language for helping them to communicate more confidently, and we sing — exposing your child to the full range of speech and expression.
Sensory and Exploration
In a few short months, your baby goes from involuntary and reflexive movements, to intentionally batting and grabbing at objects, then to releasing something once she has grasped it. From there, she learns more refined grasping abilities, including the all-important “pincer grip” later used for holding a pencil. She transfers things from hand to hand, and coordinates her two hands for a chosen purpose (such as to bang things together!). Experience Curriculum and your teachers are providing activities for exploring their hands and feet and the feeling behind all of these new sensory opportunities.
