Chickadees: 8 weeks to about 12 months

This is where it all begins. At this age, the absorbent mind operates by interacting with the world around them, taking in sensorial impressions, and interactions with others and combines to create the foundation of one’s personality. They obtain basic knowledge through the five senses and coordination and muscle development develops quickly. For this reason we must prepare the environment in a way that allows the children, under his or her own power, to practice their developing activities whenever he or she wants/can (i.e. rolling, scooting, crawling, reaching, sitting, pulling-up to standing etc.) The infant is especially interested in the sound of the human voice and in watching the face and lip movements when one is talking or singing. We spend much of this time imitating and conversing with the child as well as reading to and with them, as it is never too early to introduce a wide array of interesting subjects. It is incredibly rewarding to see the confidence, balance, poise, and physical prowess develop as a child in this classroom begins to grow into their own.