The
Classroom
When you
visit our infant classroom, you will find a calm, soothing, and warm
atmosphere. We create a homey environment that will help make your child
feel comfortable and relaxed.
In our
napping area you will find wooden cribs (which all meet the newest
Consumer Product Safety Commission standards), low lighting, and soothing
colors. An oscillating fan is also provided in the napping area (as research
has shown that using a fan where infants sleep, increases air flow and helps
reduce the risk of SIDS). When the children are napping, lullabies, classical
music, or nature sounds, is playing in the background.
Our
infant play space is carpeted and has many soft areas for your baby to
comfortably play, whether they are having tummy time, or crawling around. You
will find activity play gyms and lots of Boppy pillows for our youngest
infants. For our infants that are starting to move around, we have wooden push
carts, an activity play cube, a pull-up bar, and a "cruising" shelf
that has a rounded lip and is just the right height for your child to use as
they are learning to pull themselves up to a standing position, and as they
learn to walk. There are also fabric bins with lots of smaller toys for our
infants to mouth, reach, and grasp.
In the
infant classroom you will also find a swing, an infant bouncer seat, a
vibrating infant seat, and an activity seat. These items were carefully
selected before being added to the classroom. In doing research, it has been
found that some baby equipment can actually delay developmental milestones
(i.e. exersaucers, jumpers, and walkers).
Because
our goal is to help children reach developmental milestones, any
equipment is first carefully researched, before being added to the classroom.
There is
a diapering area with wall shelving to store the children's diapers, wipes, and
ointments. The children are changed on a non-porous, washable changing table,
which is disinfected in between each changing.
The prep
area has a sink for hand washing and counter space for preparing food and
bottles. There is also a microwave for warming the children's food (bottles
are NEVER heated in the microwave oven). Wall cabinets above the prep area are
used to store extra food, formula, and snacks for your child. Prepared bottles
and food are kept in the classroom refrigerator.
Enrichment
At Little
Footprints Learning Center, even our youngest infants are growing and learning.
Our developmentally appropriate activities will foster their learning to help
them reach new milestones.
Our
infants spend a lot of time playing on the floor. They will have tummy time to
help develop their arm, neck, and back muscles, as well as learning to lift
their heads. While lying on their backs the infants are placed under activity
gyms so they can look at dangling toys, developing their eye muscles. As they
get a little older, they practice hand and eye coordination, as they reach for
the dangling toys.
During
this floor play, their little bodies are wriggling and moving around, which
strengthens other muscles to help them with rolling over, and eventually,
sitting up.
Toys with
contrasting colors, various textures, and sounds are provided to stimulate your
child's sense of sight, touch, and sound.
Toys such
as nesting cups, stacking rings, and soft blocks develop their fine motor
skills as they mouth (toys disinfected after use), drop, and hold these toys. They
eventually learn how to nest and stack these toys, with practice and modeling
from the teachers.
As your
infant grows, they begin pulling themselves up with the assistance of the
teachers, and will be placed at the pull-up bar or the cruising shelf once they
are able to support themselves. Mirrors surround the pull-up bar and the
infants love to watch themselves.
Once your
child is learning to walk, they enjoy pushing the activity walkers around the
classroom and cruising around the edge of our cruising shelf.
Along
with all of these developmental milestones the teachers also engage the
children daily with music, stories, and other fun sensory activities, such as
blowing bubbles, water play, and outdoor walks (weather permitting).
Your
Child’s Needs
In our
infant program, the key aspect is the care that your child receives. We
focus on giving your child individual attention and tending to their needs. For
basic needs, the teachers will talk to you to find out your child's schedule
for feeding and napping, and we will keep the same consistency for them while
at Little Footprints. For diapering, the children's diapers are changed as
needed, or at least every two hours. Most young infants require diaper changes
more frequently. Beyond the basic needs for your child are the needs for
nurturing. Our teachers spend time cuddling with the children, holding, and
rocking them. They also spend lots of time on the floor playing with your
child, singing, and reading to them.
Student-teacher
ratio: 3:1 or 7:2
Developmental
Progress Reports are done quarterly for each child.
Parents
provide diapers, wipes, labeled bottles, food and a change of clothing.
If your
child uses formula, you should send in bottles filled with room temperature
water, and a separate container with pre-measured formula.
If your
child is breast-fed, then you should send in bottles of breast milk, which will
be heated in a bowl of hot water.
We
provide crib bedding, receiving blankets, burp cloths, and bibs for your child.
Our
infant play area is a shoe-free zone. Parents are welcome in this area if they
remove their shoes or use disposable shoe covers, which we provide. (No bare
feet please!)
