Zimmer

Infants are totally dependent upon their parents and care givers for their protection and needs. Consistent, attentive, gentle interactions encourage infants to develop their capacity to trust people. During this stage, they grow from tiny newborns with little motor control to toddling 1½ year olds. We stimulate their physical growth by providing opportunities to use their fingers, limbs and whole bodies. We encourage language development by talking constantly to the babies, reading stories, singing songs and playing with them.

 

Ages: 6 weeks to 18 months

Days: Monday through Friday, with 3-5 day options

Hours: 7:00am to 6:00pm. Parents can select days and hours based on availability.

 

Teachers and Ratio:

Our teachers are loving and intuitive, with a deep understanding of what this age needs. They are skilled at implementing individualized frameworks for each child, while nurturing a beautiful whole group dynamic. Our maximum teacher-to-child ration is 1:4.

 

Daily Schedule:

Our day consists of play time (both indoors and out), nap time, and meal time. For meals and naps, each child follows his or her own schedule. As the year progresses and the group coalesces, the babies (especially the older ones) tend to move towards a shared schedule.

 

Communication:

Daily logs are kept for each baby, documenting his or her eating, napping, diapering schedule, and other relevant bits of information. Monthly blogs, with pictorial documentation are posted online. Teachers are happy to have parents spend time in the classroom and are available to speak to parents at pick up, drop off, or over the phone.

 

Meals:

Food is brought from home and kept in the classroom refrigerator. Bottle-fed babies are held in the teacher’s arms and given eye contact while they are fed. When babies are old enough, they sit at a low table and share mealtime together with their classmates; teachers support them as they learn to feed themselves.

 

Napping:

The nap area is separate from the play area so the sleeping babies are not disturbed. Teachers have 100% visibility of this area at all times. Each child has a designated crib or mat. Parents send in bedding, which is sent home weekly to be washed. Babies are never left to “cry it out,” and are allowed to sleep for as long as their body dictates (unless the parents request otherwise).
 

Play:

Play is a baby's work. Our play areas are filled with carefully-selected toys and materials: different textures provide essential tactile experiences; toys and puzzles to develop motor and cognitive skills; art materials, such as crayons, finger paint, play-dough, water, and musical instruments. Teachers read aloud and sing and dance for their creative play. Weather permitting, babies take rides in our “baby buggy” around school grounds.

 

Socialization:

Humans are 'hard-wired' to be social, but like all aspects of development, this is a skill that must be honed. Our teachers take the time to really get to know each baby – their personality, temperament and needs – and from this perch of awareness, encourage social growth. They not only play with each other but our babies visit with our older children as well.