Infants
Infants
Our guidelines for infants are within the confines of Developmentally Appropriate Practices as defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The areas of most importance are brain development and social skills. Through daily interactions with responsive, affectionate adults, babies experience their first positive love relationships. Regardless of their level of development, infants need a caregiver’s help in each stage as they learn about security, trust, exploration, and identity. The low ratio of adults to babies (1 to 4), allows us to promptly attend to each child’s needs. Security and warmth are expressed through holding, rocking, talking, playing, feeding, and changing them. Infants develop skills in exploration through opportunities to engage their senses by touching toys, objects, and putting things in their mouths. An infant’s identity develops with opportunities to respond to sounds, facial expressions, and movement. They like to look and listen to the world around them and respond with cooing, crying, making faces, and body movements. These are their expressions of communicating. Through the repetition of movement, babies develop their motor skills and physical strength.
What you will see in the Infant Room:
- an individualized schedule of eating and sleeping for each infant
- an activity room with toys, rugs, rocking chairs, and high chairs
- a separate quiet room with one crib for each infant
- a stimulating environment with mirrors, mobiles, swings, rattles and other age appropriate toys
- supervised “tummy time” for newborns to develop their muscles
- singing, music, and reading stories to develop their language
- exercising and playing with others
- free play time to explore
- staff interacting with infants through talking, holding, rocking, feeding, and changing
- introduction of new foods at the parent’s request
- formula and baby wipes are provided
Our teachers are knowledgeable about each infant’s schedule, likes, and dislikes and strive to meet those needs.