Infant & Toddlers

Our Programs For Infant & Toddler

In our Infant environment there are special mobiles and images to stimulate
brain development, as well as a variety of tactile objects for children to
explore. Because this is the period when infants learn to roll over, sit, scoot,
crawl and potentially walk, the room has many opportunities for movement.
There are striking differences between a Montessori Infant environment and
other, more traditional daycare settings: our babies do not spend their active
hours in playpens, jumpers, walkers or other containers. Instead, in our Infant
rooms you will see:

For the older infants, where crawling and newly walking babies have their
hands free for exploration, you will see:

PROGRAM SCHEDULE / DAILY ROUTINE

Most infants follow a routine, though not necessarily a strict schedule, that allows for feeding, active time, and nap. This routine repeats itself throughout the day and provides important predictability for young children. In our Infant environments, our Montessori guides maintain a consistent rhythm outlined by parents that responds to each child’s needs and complements what parents do at home.

RATIOS MONTESSORI

Fully established Wendy Montessori Infant environments should have a maximum of 12 infants and 3-4 adults, one of whom is also the Room Leader. While we strive to maintain a 3:1 ratio throughout the day, there are moments when we will need to provide care at a 4:1 ratio to allow for teacher breaks. Though your child will interact with all teachers in the classroom on a daily basis, the classroom’s Head Teacher will be the main point of contact for parent communication regarding your child.

FEEDING / DAILY ROUTINE

Most infants follow a routine, though not necessarily a strict schedule, that allows for feeding, active time, and nap. This routine repeats itself throughout the day and provides important predictability for young children. In our Infant environments, our Montessori guides maintain a consistent rhythm outlined by parents that responds to each child’s needs and complements what parents do at home.

THE PREPARED ENVIRONMENT

A child’s early years are a time of great sensitivity to bonding in order to establish trust in the world; as well as language, order, sensorial impressions, and development of coordinated movement, both fineand gross-motor. Each of our Infant rooms supports the child’s development of movement, independence, and capacity for active exploration. Because an infant’s brain is wired for language acquisition, our environments offer rich opportunities for babies to learn through plenty of reading, singing, sign language and a running dialogue as your child’s caregivers explain the events of your child’s day. Our respect for each child shows by how we engage him in each care-giving activity with warm eye-contact and verbal explanations of each step, rather than merely just doing the tasks to the child.

SLEEPING / DAILY ROUTINE

Our nap rooms provide each child a dedicated crib for younger infants
or a low cot for older infants in a designated, peaceful area where noise is minimized
and tranquility is heightened. We work with parents to replicate techniques that work
best at home for your child’s sleep patterns, while sharing tips from our experts for
optimizing your child’s sleep. We will rock or hold a newly enrolled infant who needs
such comforting to fall asleep; however, we will work with these parents to help the
infants develop self-regulation in sleep habits. Our goal is for your child to recognize
sleep as a peaceful opportunity to self-soothe and rest because he or she is tired,
just as a child will eat when hungry.

Operation Hours