Fine motor-
- Shake, bang, and reach for toys
- Banging two toys together
- Finger painting
- Picking up small pieces of food (puffs or cheerios)
Gross motor-
- Tummy time
- Crawling and scooting around the floor
- Sitting upright and reaching for toys
- Beginning to walk holding on to the teacher or object
Sensory
- Exploring sounds, textures, tastes, and visual stimulation
- Going for a walk in the stroller promotes all areas of sensory development
- Feeling different textures
- Shaking rattles, maracas, or banging on a drum or box
Positive self-concept
- Unbreakable mirrors
- Pictures of themselves and family members
- Choices of toys to play with
- Using the child’s name
Cognition
- Peek a boo
- Listening to music
- Cuddling
- Reading books
Selecting the appropriate infant day care is a serious decision. Most parents have concerns about the daycare options available and experience some guilt and a feeling of helplessness about the process in general. When leaving the infant with a family member is not possible, an infant daycare center is most logical choice. Learning about the available options makes the process more manageable.
Locating a good infant and toddler day care program is challenging. Infants and toddlers need to be cared for and stimulated. A good day care program will have an adequate number of caregivers focused on feedings and diaper changes, as well as staff dedicated to stimulating and playing with the children.
Infants develop at a rapid rate and the first year of life contains vital milestones. One advantage to group infant daycare is that the staff is specially trained to care for infants and formally educated in infant development. Group daycare is also licensed and regulated by the government to ensure certain health and safety criteria are met.
A good infant program will incorporate a wide variety of activities that offers children the freedom and confidence to experience the world around them. Infant day care programs expose the infant to a wide range of sensory activities that enable the child to achieve the expected milestones while enjoying themselves along the way. When choosing an infant day care program, ask questions about the curriculum and daily activities. Even though they are infants, the daycare should have a daily activity schedule in place to ensure that the child gets the most out of the program.
At our center, the Infant and Toddler rooms are separated. Infants who reach 15 months will be transitioned slowly into the Toddler room.
Ratio in the Infant room is 1 teacher to 4 Infants
Ratio in the Toddler room is 1 teacher to 5 Toddlers
All Teachers are certified in CPR and First Aid