(2 weeks to ~12 months old)
Staff to child ratio: generally 1:4.
For younger infants, the ratio tends to
be 1:3 for most of the day.
A TYPICAL DAY IN THE INFANT ROOM:
(Because infants eat and sleep on
demand, this schedule is quite flexible.)
7:15-8:45 Infants arrive and are greeted by the staff. Parents may write notes on clipboards to relay important information to the caregiver, such as feeding, sleeping, pick-up etc. Breakfast is served.
8:45-10:30 Infants are engaged in stretching, cuddling and simple games, such as "so... big." They are rocked and fed before their morning nap, as needed.
Older infants have circle time, which may involve singing, storytelling or fingerplays. Infants also have interest activities such as water play, dramatic play, blocks, tunnel play or art exploration. Snack is served on a rotating basis. Children help clean up before Family Group time.
10:30-12:00 Family Group Time: Children spend small group time with their primary caregiver and other children in their family group. They may take a walk, do a special art activity or play games outside.
12:00-1:00 Children eat with their family groups in two shifts (to keep the groups small). After lunch, children read books and play quietly with teachers. Diapering occurs as needed.*
1:00-3:00 Naps: Teachers play soft music or story tapes while children sleep or look at books on their cots or mats. Infants who are awake choose from interest activities, eat, or visit with other infants and toddlers in a common space.
3:00-3:30 Children are diapered and toileted individually as they awaken. Children eat snack and get ready to go outside (if weather permits).
3:30-5:00 Outside play. Activities may include: swinging, chasing bubbles, wading in pools, sand play, playing with balls, etc. Children remain in small groups if they stay inside.
5:00-5:45 Children engage in quiet activities until parents arrive-stories, puzzles, etc.
* Diapering is done throughout the day.
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GUIDANCE FOR INFANTS
Infants learn through trial and error, repetition, imitation, and identification. To encourage investigation and exploration, their environment must be safe, stimulating, and emotionally supportive. We structure their environment and activities to reduce frustration by providing duplicates of popular playthings, for example. We use language, gestures, eye contact, and gentle touches to help infants when frustrations arise. A teacher might say, "I know you want Tony's truck. He has it now--here is another one for you."
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DEVELOPMENTAL GUIDELINES
On the following pages you will find a series of developmental guidelines that we use with activity planning, child evaluations and parent conferences. These describe average developmental markers recognized by child development professionals. Individual children may exhibit all or only a few of the behaviors for a given age group and still fall within the normal range of development. Children progress at various rates through different aspects of development: for example, early walkers may not be early talkers.
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A Little Oaks infant enjoys lunch with a teacher. |
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READ MORE
NAEYC Article: When Babies and Toddlers are in child care, accreditation is key to quality
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LOCATIONS THAT SERVE THIS AGE GROUP:
Mt. Pleasant,
Stadium,
W.I.S.D.,
Traver,
Oak Valley,
Dhu Varren, and
Little Oaks
