CLASSROOMS

ECLA has two infant classrooms, both holding a maximum of 8 infants with a 1/4 teacher/student ratio.  Our Discoverers classroom houses our youngest students.  The babies stay in this classroom until they become mobile, when they move over to our Climbers classroom.  Both of these classrooms follow "Infant Care Plans" that are filled out by parents to let us know what feeding/napping schedule your child is on.

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ARRIVAL TIME

When the infant is dropped off in their infant classroom, parents and teachers will discuss any concerns or events that the teacher should be aware of. It is the job of both the parent and teacher to help the child make the transition. At this stage, it is sometimes more difficult for the parents to separate from their little ones than it is for the babies. Know that your child is in good and loving hands and will be well taken care of until you return.

EATING

Infants in the infant rooms will eat often. We will be working with the Discoverers and Climbers on baby sign language so that they have another way to let their care givers know when they are hungry. It is the teacher's responsibility to know a child's signs and signals for being hungry so they are fed before they begin crying. Infants and young toddlers will always be held while they are taking a bottle, as this is a time for the teacher and child to form a bond and work on individual development. In our Climbers classroom our older infants will start eating baby food and finger foods at our feeding table. Teachers will discuss the nutritional needs of each individual child with their parents.

SLEEPING

Infants sleep on their own schedules. We only accept 8 full-time infants into each infant room to keep germs to a minimum. Each child will have a designated crib of their own. Teachers will be interacting with each child while they are awake and checking on them regularly while they are sleeping. Parents will be informed of their child's sleeping schedules and habits through our parent communication app, where you will find out about your child's naps in real time. Each child will be placed on their back to sleep, unless otherwise noted by a doctor.

DIAPERING

Diapers are checked constantly throughout the day. Each child's diaper will be changed immediately, as needed. Singing, talking, and interacting with a child during diapering is important for an infant's development. After diapering each child, the teacher will wash both their hands as well as the infants' hands and sanitize the entire diaper changing area. You will get a notification via our parent communication app that will let you know when your child's diaper was changed.  We will let you know when to bring in more diapers/wipes for your child.

DEVELOPMENT

Between the times when our Discoverers and Climbers are sleeping and eating, it is imperative that the teachers are interacting with each child. Infants will spend time playing and learning with his or her teacher throughout the day. Our teachers will sing, do artwork, and read stories to the children in order to nurture cognitive, social, and language development.

PICK UP TIME

Teachers will share information about the child's day with their parents. This is also a time for transition from teacher to parent.