Childcare - Piglets

We start our infants at 6 weeks of age.

General

The Piglet room is made up of three areas, which serve specific purposes and are used throughout the day by all children and staff. The carpet play area is used for open-ended play and a place for children to move around and explore. The kitchen tile area is used for feeding and messy activities like painting and water play. The napping area is closed off from the kitchen area and has windows to see in at napping children.

Curriculum

In the Piglet room, the term “curriculum” is used to include every part of play, caregiving and interactions that the children have in their environment.

We follow a developmental approach to play and learning. Teachers work to be aware of the changes children are going through physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially and then facilitate appropriate activities and experiences in each area.

Play offers the baby an opportunity to become involved in open-ended exploration. Through play, babies make discoveries, work on problems, make choices and find out what things interest them.

Caregiving is another major part of our curriculum. The caregivers 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), and an opportunity to give the child positive messages about his/her body functions. Feeding a child promotes attachment and also provides sensory experiences and the development of self-help skills.

The interactions, which children experience with their caregivers and with the environment, are the third part of our curriculum. As teachers and caregivers, we work hard to create a nurturing and learning environment. Babies have many needs and require adults who are always there for them to read to, talk to, play with and care for. Caregivers respond to infants’ needs for food, sleep and play based on their individual schedules. Our goal is to have 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.

Team Teaching Approach

The teachers are responsible for the functioning and direction of the room. All the teachers work together closely as a team to plan developmentally appropriate activities, to discuss individual and group needs, and to make decisions about the program. They all share in the care of all the children.

Caregiving Approach

We view the infant area as a “family” unit. We encourage the children to come to know all the teachers and feel comfortable with everyone. As your child’s entrance into the infant area is a major adjustment, we work to be as consistent as possible with caregiving to help the child develop a secure emotional base. Children are supervised at all times and are watched closely as they sleep.

Meeting Individual Needs

We are very sensitive to the fact that each infant has unique needs – not only physically (eating, sleeping, etc), but also emotionally. As the family enters our program, the teacher holds a conference with the parents to become familiar with the special needs and qualities of each child. We want to know the little things that parents are best at “reading” in their child (i.e. does the baby have a favorite way of being held, does he/she have an aversion to a particular sight or sound, etc). These pieces of information, along with ongoing communication with parents, help us to know and serve each child in an individual caring way.

Parent/Teacher Relationships

At FCDC, we believe that good parent-teacher relationships are the strength of our program. We recognize that each parent is their child’s expert and encourage parents to share with us concerns and desires for their child’s care. Through daily communication and conferences, the teachers are able to share observations about the child’s development and interactions. This helps parents and teachers come together in partnership for the well being of each infant.

Communication and Language

In all areas of our curriculum, communication and language play an important role. We support language growth and cognitive understanding by talking to children during routines and playtimes. For instance, when we are planning to diaper a child, we tell him/her what we are going to do. Explaining events that are going to happen to the child helps the child learn about themselves and the world. As we begin to give the infants opportunities to participate in their care, they learn they also have some control.

We also encourage the infant to communicate with us. When a young infant cries, we respond and attempt to decide what the infant needs. As the baby learns that people will respond, they will become more skilled at conveying what they need. As older infants begin to use sounds and gestures, we label these to reinforce the child’s attempt to communicate. The teachers show the baby they understand the meaning of his/her sounds. We also work on helping your child learn some sign language to communicate their needs.