Little Dreamers

Infants (6 weeks to 12 months)

We welcome baby’s starting at 6 weeks of age. Our infants are precious and we have designed a nurturing, creative world for infants to explore their surroundings and help their minds and bodies develop. Babies are held during feedings, rocked to feel loved and spend time on their tummies to discover the world around them. Music is also very important at this age, so we play soothing music for nap time along with familiar tunes that they learn to recognize at other times throughout their day. Sign Language is also introduced as a way to communicate before they have developed their language skills.

Our rooms are designed to make babies and parents feel safe, secure, and happy. Each infant has their own personal crib and plenty of hugs, love and personal attention. Our teachers will guide your baby through a world of language, by using sounds, songs, gestures, and words. We know it can be difficult to leave your infant in someone else’s care and to feel confident that they will get the same love and care that you give, But rest assured, our infant teachers will build a bond with you and your baby that will put your mind at ease. We provide parents with daily “Small Talk” reports on feedings, diapering, and napping. All our teachers are certified in First Aid/CPR and many hours of continued education yearly to ensure your child’s well- being.

Our Infant Program includes:

• A nurturing environment that focuses on love and trust.
• Baby Sign language to increase early communication skills & reduce frustration levels for infant and toddlers
• Daily activities that are designed to support physical development

Below are some of the basic milestones we look for, in addition to specific academic and developmental achievements:

Movement

• Raises head and chest when laying on stomach (3 mo.)
• Pulls to sitting with no head lag (5 mo.)
• Transfers objects from hand to hand (6-7 mo.)
• Gets to sitting position without assistance (8-10 mo.)
• Crawls forward on belly (8-10 mo.)
• Gets from sitting to crawling or prone position (10-12 mo.)
• May walk two or three steps without support

Visual

• Watches face intently (2-3 mo.)
• Follows moving objects (2 mo.)
• Tracks moving objects with ease (4-7 mo.)
• Grasps objects dangling in front of him (5-6 mo.)
• Looks for fallen toys (5-7 mo.)

Language

• Distinguishes emotions by tone of voice (4-7 mo.)
• Responds to sound by making sounds (4-6 mo.)
• Syllable repetition begins (5-7 mo.)
• Responds to simple verbal requests (4-6 mo.)
• Makes simple gestures such as shaking head for no (8-10 mo.)
• Babbles “dada” and “mama” (8-10 mo.)

Cognitive

• Finds partially hidden objects (6-7 mo.)
• Explores objects in many different ways (8-10 mo.)
• Finds hidden objects easily (10-12 mo.)
• Imitates gestures (9-12 mo.)

Hearing and Speech

• Smiles at the sound of voice (2-3 mo.)
• Cooing noises and vocal play (3 mo.)
• Responds to sound (1-3 mo.)
• Startles to loud noise (1-3 mo.)

Social/Emotional

• Begins to develop a social smile (1-3 mo.)
• Enjoys playing and may cry when playing stops (2-3 mo.)
• Interested in mirror images (5-7 mo.)
• Shy or anxious with strangers (8-12 mo.)
• Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys (8-12 mo.)