Infant Room

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Infant Room

We will be accepting infants ages 6 weeks to 18 months.

The hours will be flexible.

The class size will be small with a total of 3 infants.

Diapers and wipes will be provided.

Soft cotton clothing that enables free range of the limbs will be available when needed.

All natural materials (no plastics) that stimulate the visual, tactile and auditory senses will be displayed on very low open shelves.

Floor mats or rugs are provided to define a child's personal space; one where they can act independently of others in their selection of materials.

Once the child is ready for solid foods all organic fruits and vegetables will be pureed for them.

Solid foods are introduced to the child while he/she is sitting in a low chair at a low table. Children will learn to drink from a glass, and learn to use a spoon and a fork.

All infants sleep on their individual floor beds which allow them full mobility to move out of the sleeping area on their own after they awaken. Each infant's sleep-awake cycle is honored, allowing each child to rest when needed.

The babies are taken outside daily. When we say to give the world to the child, this does not mean the inside of buildings, but glorious sunrises and sunsets, the strong cleansing winds of fall, the sounds of birds in the trees, the stars and clouds, the infinite variety of leaves and flowers, the beautiful world of nature. It is very good for us adults to slow down, forget our plan, and follow the child as he/ she discovers, smells, sees, hears, and touches the outside world.

We will have a sign language teacher join our class a couple times a week. By learning sign language infants have the tools to express themselves in sgn before they are able to express themselves verbally, thus eliminating some frustration felt by the infants.

We have a reading area with books. It is never too early to look at books together and talk about them. They introduce a wide array of interesting subjects to children at the age when they want to see and hear and talk about everything.

Music is an important way of communicating with young infants. We offer classical music, instrumental music, and lullabies.

We lay the foundation of positive social learning by introducing the "Grace and Courtesy" lessons before the more academic lessons are given.

We will strive to maintain a constant dialogue and close relationship with a child's family.

We understand there is no better care than a parent's care, we strive hard to come a close second. Our teachers will build a bond of trust with your baby and you, while providing a warm, and loving environment. We will work with each child in a series of stimulating activities that incorporate the natural routines of feeding and play. Our teacher will reinforce the babies' development without disrupting their own internal schedule.

Tuition
-Full day(8:30-2:30) $780.00 monthly
-Extended day(7:30-5:30) $1,300.00 monthly

Infant Room Teacher:

Chelsea Read has 3 children ages 5, 3, and a five month old. She has embraced the Montessori Teaching Techniques and will provide a warm loving environment for your child.

Our goals for the Infant Program:

* To prepare an environment in which babies can begin to safely explore.

* To promote the child's strong, natural need and desire to learn.

* To provide an atmosphere that communicates unconditional love and acceptance.

The ultimate goal is an authentic child who feels secure, autonomous and competent.

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"The development of the child during the first three years after birth is unequaled by intensity and importance by any other period that precedes or follows in the whole life of the child. If we consider the transformations, adaptations, achievements, and conquest of the environment during the first period of life from zero to three years, it is functionally a longer period than all the following periods put together from three years until death. For this reason, these three years may be considered to be as long as a whole life."

- Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori identified four areas of infant development referred to as the sensitive periods. By carefully preparing an environment in which babies can begin to safely explore these four needs to grow, the caretaker is acting with great love and wisdom and fostering a strong sense of emotional well-being in the child.

Sensitive Period for Movement (birth to 12 months):

- Control of the hands and feet, self-support of the head, hand-eye coordination and the miracle of crawling all come into play in the first year of life.

- It is important to make sure the babies are not being restrained either by their clothing or by furnishings like cribs or playpens.

Sensitive Period for Sensory Perception:

- An infant's perception of sound, sight, touch, taste and smell is fresh, new and acute.

- Keeping things calm and quiet and keeping stimuli to a minimum is key.

- The goal is to follow the babies' expressions of interest in new sensory experiences and to go at their pace.

Sensitive Period for Language:

- After birth, babies find themselves in a world of sounds and often, their greatest interest is in the sounds of human speech.

- Infants intently watch the mouths of the people around them and begin moving their own lips in imitation. Soon, they begin to explore their own ability to create different kinds of sounds and develop a fascinating repertoire of syllables that they will repeat over and over, trying to perfect the control of their throat, tongue and lips.

Sensitive Period for Order:

- Newborns start to gain a feeling of security by making sense of all the things they perceive in their surroundings.

- Their own place in the scheme of things feels safe when they wake up from a nap and discover that everything is in its rightful location.

Dr. Montessori believed that these special sensitive periods were at their keenest from birth to five years of age. An extraordinary amount of development takes place in the first year of life.

By following the baby we will do our best work!