Infant Daycare
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We welcome babies 8 weeks and older into our program.
Our infant care program includes a specially designed environment to meet your babies needs for caregiving, feeding, sleeping, and exploration of their new environment. Quiet, gentle touch, singing, and a sensitive individual rhythm introduce each new baby and parent to care outside of the home. Our loving baby wearing staff is active and responsive to each child's individual needs and balances stimulation and rest for each child. Babies are exposed to arts experiences that engage them during playtime and have a quiet and peaceful sleep room for rest periods. Parents are always welcome to spend time with their babies as they begin care with us, to ease the transition to their new caregivers and new environment. As babies grow and change so does our care plan for them. Busy toddlers will continue to be met with warmth and individualized attention with special rest periods throughout the day that match your schedules in the home. These curious ones will be delighted to engage in even more arts based activities that are developmentally appropriate and continue to allow the unfolding of learning to happen at a natural pace. |
We have three Baby classrooms to meet different developmental needs:
Infants- Birth-8 months
Movers- 8 months- 14 months
Wobblers- 14 months- Emerging two's
Infants- Birth-8 months
Movers- 8 months- 14 months
Wobblers- 14 months- Emerging two's
INFANTS
The Infant classroom is a cozy nest with sound machines running, lights dimmed, essential oil diffusers going and a soft song coming from the lips of the teacher. Our team provides a responsive care environment that closely reflects a child’s home life. For this age group we provide more than just needs based care. The whole child is cared for at Abundance and it begins at this age. Children are held, fed, napped and played with as their needs demand. Physical and sensorial development is fostered. The babies are provided just the right amount of stimulation and decompression that they need. For these young learners, the senses are the way they interpret their environment so careful attention is made with the introduction to light, touch, taste, smell and sound. Every moment spent in this environment is a learning opportunity. Direct eye contact, soothing tones, exploration, floor time, and all needs met- these are just some of the ways our infants develop healthy attachments which are essential to all future developmental milestones.
What Most Babies Do at This Age:
Social/Emotional
MOVERS
The Mover class is a space in which nurture meets new found independence. The children in this space are still babies and therefore require the same amount of attention and intention that the infants do. A subtle and peaceful classroom environment with developmentally appropriate explorative materials easily accessible. Developmental skills are flying in and this becomes a very different environment than the infant classroom. The children are rolling over, grasping, reaching, crawling, pulling themselves up and determined to experience their surroundings through their senses. Attachments are strong and responsive care with familiar providers becomes more important than before. So many changes develop for the children during this time- they begin eating solid food and naps decrease from happening three to two to finally one time a day. We help to work through “Stranger Danger” with this age group by beginning to take them out of their cozy nest. Heading to the dance or music studios becomes an opportunity to not only explore and express joy but a way to practice new settings with trusted teachers. Trust is developed through consistent routines and it is this important quality which will carry them through their early childhood years.
What Most Children Do at This Age:
Social/Emotional
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
WOBBLERS
The Wobbler class is an amazing time- they are still babies but most certainly also emerging toddlers. It’s a fascinating age because they possess the qualities needs and skills of both age groups. Play becomes very intentional, parrell play begins to transform and the children learn not only to interact with their surroundings but with one another. The relationship with the caregiver still remains critical but the social aspect within this class is monumental. We begin learning about strong emotions and self regulatory skills. The Wobbler children’s need for independence is fostered at the same time as their need to be held, rocked and loved on. Fine motor skills are refining and both play and meal time become opportunities to learn and socialize. Walking skills sharpen and language acquisition is coming in fast! As the littles become steady on their feet their interactions with their environment and their concept of it greatly expands. This is just the beginning of self confidence and the excitement to learn that follows.
Social/Emotional
The Infant classroom is a cozy nest with sound machines running, lights dimmed, essential oil diffusers going and a soft song coming from the lips of the teacher. Our team provides a responsive care environment that closely reflects a child’s home life. For this age group we provide more than just needs based care. The whole child is cared for at Abundance and it begins at this age. Children are held, fed, napped and played with as their needs demand. Physical and sensorial development is fostered. The babies are provided just the right amount of stimulation and decompression that they need. For these young learners, the senses are the way they interpret their environment so careful attention is made with the introduction to light, touch, taste, smell and sound. Every moment spent in this environment is a learning opportunity. Direct eye contact, soothing tones, exploration, floor time, and all needs met- these are just some of the ways our infants develop healthy attachments which are essential to all future developmental milestones.
What Most Babies Do at This Age:
Social/Emotional
- Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
- Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stops
- Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling or frowning
- Begins to babble
- Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears
- Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain or being tired
- Lets you know if she is happy or sad
- Responds to affection
- Reaches for toy with one hand
- Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
- Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
- Watches faces closely
- Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance
- Holds head steady, unsupported
- Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
- May be able to roll over from tummy to back
- Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys
- Brings hands to mouth
- When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows
MOVERS
The Mover class is a space in which nurture meets new found independence. The children in this space are still babies and therefore require the same amount of attention and intention that the infants do. A subtle and peaceful classroom environment with developmentally appropriate explorative materials easily accessible. Developmental skills are flying in and this becomes a very different environment than the infant classroom. The children are rolling over, grasping, reaching, crawling, pulling themselves up and determined to experience their surroundings through their senses. Attachments are strong and responsive care with familiar providers becomes more important than before. So many changes develop for the children during this time- they begin eating solid food and naps decrease from happening three to two to finally one time a day. We help to work through “Stranger Danger” with this age group by beginning to take them out of their cozy nest. Heading to the dance or music studios becomes an opportunity to not only explore and express joy but a way to practice new settings with trusted teachers. Trust is developed through consistent routines and it is this important quality which will carry them through their early childhood years.
What Most Children Do at This Age:
Social/Emotional
- Is shy or nervous with strangers
- Cries when mom or dad leaves
- Has favorite things and people
- Shows fear in some situations
- Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story
- Repeats sounds or actions to get attention
- Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”
- Responds to simple spoken requests
- Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
- Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)
- Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
- Tries to say words you say
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
- Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
- Finds hidden things easily
- Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named
- Copies gestures
- Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair Bangs two things together
- Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container
- Lets things go without help
- Pokes with index (pointer) finger
- Follows simple directions
- Gets to a sitting position without help Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”)
- May take a few steps without holding on May stand alone
WOBBLERS
The Wobbler class is an amazing time- they are still babies but most certainly also emerging toddlers. It’s a fascinating age because they possess the qualities needs and skills of both age groups. Play becomes very intentional, parrell play begins to transform and the children learn not only to interact with their surroundings but with one another. The relationship with the caregiver still remains critical but the social aspect within this class is monumental. We begin learning about strong emotions and self regulatory skills. The Wobbler children’s need for independence is fostered at the same time as their need to be held, rocked and loved on. Fine motor skills are refining and both play and meal time become opportunities to learn and socialize. Walking skills sharpen and language acquisition is coming in fast! As the littles become steady on their feet their interactions with their environment and their concept of it greatly expands. This is just the beginning of self confidence and the excitement to learn that follows.
Social/Emotional
- Copies others, especially adults and older children
- Gets excited when with other children Shows more and more independence
- Shows defiant behavior (doing what he has been told not to)
- Plays mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children, such as in chase games
- Points to things or pictures when they are named
- Knows names of familiar people and body parts
- Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
- Follows simple instructions
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
- Points to things in a book
- Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers
- Begins to sort shapes and colors
- Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books
- Plays simple make-believe games
- Builds towers of 4 or more blocks
- Might use one hand more than the other
- Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”
- Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird or dog
- Stands on tiptoes
- Kicks a ball
- Begins to run
- Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
- Walks up and down stairs
- Throws ball overhand
- Makes/copies lines and circles