Using the Creative Curriculum, we have designed a program for our infant and toddlers that allows the teachers to plan and base activities off of the child's age and stage of development. Our infant and toddler classrooms offer an environment that allows the children to hear, touch and see different materials within the room. We have created a nurturing, warm and safe environment that allow each child to learn and develop at their own speed! Even at these young ages, children are developing socially/emotionally, physically and cognitively every day.
Physical Development- Babies and toddlers are always on the move, move, move! In our infant classrooms, the teachers focus on large motor skills such as standing, walking, climbing. While in toddlers, we slowly move to running, jumping, skipping etc., Our open floor plan allows both infants and toddlers to explore this stage of development safely utilizing many of our different large motor toys and manipulatives!
Social/ Emotional Development - It is important to teach our young ones to interact with others as early on as we can through meaningful interactions. Our teachers encourage children to mimic sounds, identify emotions, and respond to others. Our toddlers learn by observing what they see and hear, therefore our teachers are engaging in positive interactions with their students to increase the likelihood of a positive response. By engaging in these meaningful interactions, we are now also promoting language development early on for each child.
Cognitive Development- It is never too early to start reading to children. By exposing our infants and toddlers to stories at a young age, we are providing them with the opportunity to listen, hear and retain new vocabulary and language. Practicing imitation at this age is also a way we promote cognitive learning for both infants and toddlers.