Infant Program

Six weeks to 16 months old.

Staff

Each staff person does the following:

takes CPR and First Aid training
submits a comprehensive background study application to the state prior to having any direct contact with a child
undergoes an orientation to all of our policies and procedures
receives training in child development
takes a training in preventing sudden unexpected infant death syndrome
learns about the dangers of shaking a child through training on abusive head trauma

Our lead teachers hone their skills by training in the following areas at least once every five years:

Observation
Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIP)
Curriculum implementation
Nutrition
Obesity prevention
Developmental disabilities, special health care needs, and behavioral challenges
Supporting development (Social-Emotional, Language/Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Physical Development)
Working with families from different cultures
Assessment training

Food

You provide milk (breast milk or formula) until they move to cow or soy milk. You provide food until the child is ready to eat the food provided by us found on our lunch menu.

The Luther location offers a standard menu or a vegan menu for you to choose from. You choose one for your child’s food service. Switching day to day is prohibited except to accommodate allergy restrictions.

In order to minimize the risk of children being exposed to allergens, we do not allow any food or milk from home once a child enters the toddler program.

Diapers

We change children every two hours or less if needed. You provide the diapers, wipes and creams. We document this for your review at the end of the day.

Please accept our apologies, at this time we do not process cloth diapers. They are a wonderful option and we support those wanting to use them at home. Processing cloth diapers for large numbers of children properly creates some unique health and safety challenges.

Learning And Development

We provide all of the essentials for children’s development and learning like a warm and nurturing environment filled with toys and space for them to explore. We use the Early Learning Success curriculum to guide us when we talk, sing, read, and chant with the little ones.

Our curriculum align with the Minnesota early learning standards covering the following areas:

Communication

A daily report with information about your child’s eating, diapering, sleeping and more will be ready for you at the end of everyday. We will either use a handwritten daily report or the Daily Connect app to transfer this information.

Daily chats at pick up and drop off are common. We will let you know if we need to talk to you and you are always welcome to chat for moment if you have the time and it doesn’t negatively impact your child’s drop off.

Conferences are offered twice each year. These can be a quick chat at pick up or drop off time or a more formal meeting. We know you’re busy. You decide.

Sleep

Young infants sleep on their own schedules. As they get older they usually begin to take a morning and afternoon nap at the same time as their other friends in the group. Between one year and 16 months we try to eliminate the morning nap to prepare them for the toddler program where they will sleep on a cot only once each day. We keep a daily record of naps for you to review at the end of each day.

In the infant program each child has their own crib that is labeled with the child’s name. The sheets are laundered at least once each week or more if needed. The cribs are inspected once each month for safety and reviewed for recalls annually.

Safe sleep practices are crucial to a child’s health and safety. All staff receive training on sudden unexpected death syndrome (SUIDS). To reduce the risk of SUIDS, nothing other than a pacifier is allowed in the crib with the child. Swaddles are also prohibited.

Health And Safety

We work with a team of registered nurses who develop and review our health and safety policies. They visit monthly to offer coaching, feedback, and support.