Children ages 6 weeks to 12 months are part of the Infant I Program. This is a period of great activity in your child’s development cycle. One of our primary goals is the development of movement and of independence. The environment we have designed is made to support and respond to the infants’ basic needs for independence, exploration and building of trust and self-esteem.
At Riverchase Montessori we are aware of the ability infants have of absorbing from their surroundings. The daily needs such as diapering, feeding and playing are optimal times for interaction. Using these times for social learning experiences encourages full participation of the infant and the caregiver. These times become the opportunity for communication and for nurturing.
The infants’ curriculum is based on Physical and Motor Development: Infants have a sensitive period for movement. Gross motor skills develop rapidly from three months to three years. By providing the appropriate movement opportunities and maintaining a safe environment that does not restrict the exploration for the infants in the room, motor development is allowed to unfold naturally and at the infants’ own pace.
- Language Development: Infants absorb languages from birth through six years of age. Therefore, the language spoken by the caregivers all day, as well as the songs they hear, vocabulary of association of objects and their names and the language of affection and love contributes to this phenomenal development of learning to speak.
- Self-Help Skills: Infants are considered to be initiators, explorers and self-learners. The caregivers are observers sensitive and available when direct help is needed from an infant, but not so intrusive while the infant solves his/her own body control difficulties. Infants are encouraged and allowed to solve the problem and to reach their goals by themselves, instead of having this opportunity taken away from them by a well-meaning adult.
- Daily Report: A daily report is given to parents in order to inform you of the different activities your child participated in, as well as the daily schedule they followed. This is a way to keep you involved in the daily development of your child. A schedule assigned by the parent is initially followed until the infant is ready to incorporate to the schedule of the group.
All meals, including breakfast, lunch and three snacks, are cooked and served at school daily as part of your monthly tuition. However, infants ages 6 weeks to 12 months are fed only and strictly what parents recommend.
Extracurricular activities included in your tuition: Multi-sensory Gym for Infants and Toddlers on daily basis, Music for Motor Development, Rhymes and Songs.
