We build a strong relationship with each infant through intentional interactions that bond the teacher and child. We may play hide and seek with objects or puppets so the children can build an understanding that absence is only temporary. Having repetitive verbal acknowledgement of new interactions and circumstances helps the children build trust.

When a child is very young, they begin to move their bodies purposefully. We promote an infant’s gross and fine motor development by providing them with experiences that encourage them to move, reach and stretch. Our centers do not have any restrictive furniture that would contain an infant against their natural desire or physical development. For example, we will stretch with tummy time and reaching for toys or practice fine motor growth by surrounding the infants with various sized toys to grab, shake, fill, and dump.

Having an environment that is constantly describing, talking, questioning and responding is essential for an infant to understand language, learn new words, and make sense of their world. You will find our teachers describing the everyday tasks while moving around the classroom, such as, “Let’s change your diaper,” or “I see that you are shaking the maraca.” Using an enthusiastic and a positive tone of voice will keep the children interested in communication and it encourages them to respond.

Infants at this stage of development are learning to focus their attention for short periods of time. Our teachers will encourage the growth of an infant’s cognitive development by reading books, telling stories, singing songs, and doing fingerplays. Repetitive language and experiences help the children to connect with their environment as well as expand on it. This also allows for the infants to associate movements or objects with words.

Before children learn to read, frequent exposure to books piques their curiosity and helps them develop book handling skills. Our classrooms are filled with a wide variety of books, without restrictions on how they may use them, to encourage exploration and to help them gain a deeper understanding of what makes books so enjoyable.

Young children begin to understand cause and effect and discover that repeated actions yield similar effects. Counting while the children bounce with them, or while reading a book that has many objects on the page, gives the infants an opportunity to make those connections.