Infant Room: 6 wks. – 12 mo.

Our infant program is committed to promoting quality Montessori infant care for children from six weeks to 12 months, based on American Montessori Society principles. The aim is to accomplish the following:

• Foster the development of basic trust
• Assist in the natural development of personality, based on unique needs and wants
• Respond appropriately to the infant’s needs to be loved, respected, and accepted
• Nurture infants through their senses, allowing infants to observe and move freely
• Offer comfort and provide held, and later assisted feedings
• Maintain a routine that will be both flexible to an infants’ daily needs, yet predictable so that the infant feels secure in her environment
• Establish a partnership with the family. The family is considered an integral part of the individual’s total development
• Develop a stronger sense of self, self-confidence, and independence

For our Infant Program, the BMS teacher in the infant setting will incorporate the following tools:

• Knowledge of Montessori philosophy and methodology appropriate for infants
• Knowledge of early childhood development
• Observational skills to assist the development of each child
• Responsive environments to meet the infant’s developmental needs
• Daily routines and incorporating them into the infant’s curriculum
• Verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• Respect for the infant as an individual human being
• Respect for the environment as a resource for the infant’s development
• Responsibility to assist and protect the infant’s development

In addition, the BMS Infant Specialists will incorporate the following teaching concepts:

Exposure to Montessori sensory and language materials to build a foundation for confidence and independence, which will be expanded upon in the toddler program.

Some examples include the following:

Practical life: Includes helping infants learn to drink from a bottle, and then a cup and then to eat unassisted

Sensory: Allows an infant to learn about the world through their senses. response activities and touching and grasping various objects

Language: Language activities and materials to encourage using words, increase vocabulary and conversational skills

Art and Music: Through song and dance, infants have access to a variety of large muscle activities that offer them opportunities to jump, climb, balance, crawl, or skip