Welcome to the Cuddly Caterpillars Infant Room

FOR INFANTS 6 WEEKS TO 12 MONTHS OLD 

The Caterpillar Room is set up so your baby will feel safe, loved and secure while you are away. We provide a nurturing learning environment to stimulate play, as well as calming areas for quiet relaxing activities. We have a napping area, book nook, music area, and large muscle play space in our room.

Understanding Your Baby’s Development:

Every baby is different, but they are all seeking trust, attachment and sensory stimulation. We are very sensitive to the fact that each infant has unique needs – not only physically (eating, sleeping, etc), but also emotionally.

As families enter our program, we set up transition visits so we can become familiar with the special needs and qualities of each child, such as baby’s favorite way of being held or things that are soothing. These pieces of information, along with ongoing communication with parents, help us to know and serve each child in an individual, caring way. 

Growing and Learning in the Caterpillar Room:

In the Caterpillar room, we use the term “curriculum” to include every part of play, care-giving and the interactions that the babies have with each other and their teachers. We follow a developmental approach to play and learning, which offers the baby an opportunity to become involved in open-ended exploration. Exploring toys and materials of different shapes, sizes, colors, textures and sounds provide rich learning experiences for babies! Care-giving is another major part of our curriculum. The care-giving tasks are seen as vital learning experiences for the child. Diapering is not looked upon as a chore, but rather a chance for one-to-one interaction with the baby (which encourages attachment). Feeding a baby promotes attachment, assists with language development, provides sensory experiences and aides the development of self-help skills. The interactions, which children experience with their caregivers and with each other, are the third part of our curriculum. Our teachers are responsive adults who read, sing and talk to the babies throughout each day. Our goal is to create an atmosphere that is always positive and respectful to each infant. We want the babies to develop a sense of well-being, mastery and self-esteem!

Typical Daily Schedule:

Teachers respond to infants’ needs for food, sleep and play based on their individual schedules.

Typical Group Size: 9 

Staff to Child Ratio: 1:3 (as often as we can), we will always follow state ratios of 1:4