Up to 17 months
Preschool of the Arts takes pride in partnering with parents during their children’s first school experience. We provide them with an outstanding infant program where our passion for nurturing and respecting our young ones is palpable. Our teachers extend both the trust and support needed for our infants to explore, learn and grow. Loving care and individualized attention are the cornerstone of our infant program. We have invested in the creation of beautifully appointed spaces for play where our educators have arranged intentional environments for our infants. Our infants graduate from tummy time to crawling and walking in a safe and engaging environment. We understand the importance of sleep for infants. Our serene sleep space is lovingly curated to lull little ones to sleep in an environment designed for rest and relaxation.
Our infant educators are trained in the Resource for Infant Educarers; the RIE Approach. Their focus is on connecting with infants during moments of care and elevating those moments with mindful interactions that promote the development of age-appropriate skills. During diaper changes, feeding, and play, our educators establish eye contact, smile, and speak with children. This meaningful engagement promotes awareness of self, emotions, and body and beginnings of language development and social skills. They provide infants the opportunity to explore and play in their thoughtfully-designed environment, nurturing their natural independence and connection to peers.
3 months-12 months
Infants spend their days getting to know their loving caretakers and new friends. They experience the routines of care, including diapering, feeding, sleeping and exploring. Our infants participate in individual bottle and lap feeding. They interact with fabrics, textures and toys that attract the eye and motivate movement. We encourage our infants to handle books and listen to stories and songs.
Our infants are introduced to art and music through an experiential hands on approach. They engage freely with various safe and noisy materials such as pots, pans, and utensils. They are encouraged to engage with authentic musical instruments introduced to them by professional musicians as they learn about cause and effect. Infants are given the opportunity to touch and crawl on instruments including guitars, saxophones and harps.
We engage our infants with safe and messy materials such as paint, clay and water. They are also given the opportunity to observe and interact with the natural world, such as plants and flowers.
First Adventures
12 months-16 months
Interact with primary care teachers who know them well. Our Little Learners Program is geared towards developing both children’s gross and fine motor skills as well as their core strength. Children thrive in a loving environment supported by teachers who trust in their abilities and who help them build confidence in themselves through an individualized approach.
Our Little Learners take rides in the buggy throughout the neighborhood. They are also given the opportunity to stand at the window to watch the weather and people walking by.
Teachers encourage children to use their fingers to work with clay, flour, water and paint. Our Little Learners sit at a table and eat finger foods as well as those requiring utensils. They learn to drink from an open cup. Children begin to pull themselves up on climbing equipment and learn to climb with teacher support. Children begin to participate in cooking and baking activities. Our little learners can be seen bopping and clapping along to the beat of familiar songs. Children interact with real instruments as well as everyday items to make sounds.
