Harvard Yard Child Care Center THE INFANT ROOM (amended ’08)
Welcome to the Infant Room. Infancy is a period of spectacular growth. This is the time when the basic building blocks of development come together - trust and attachment, beginning mobility, the awakening of the senses and sorting out physical needs.
Babies start out completely dependent, and we work with you to meet their basic needs and attune our care to them as individuals. Parents know their child best: we stand at the ready to listen to your observations and concerns, and tell you ours. We will work with you to help regulate your child’s sleep, monitor their food, and promote well-rounded development.
At Harvard Yard, parent worktime is when our partnership is front and center. Below you will find the guidelines for adults’ presence in the Infant Room, during worktime, and whenever you visit. Worktime or no, you are warmly invited to visit at any time!
Worktime
Worktime is where you get to see your child’s world, how their day flows, and get to know their friends. For children it is an important way to link home with school and a way learn to trust their world widely and deeply.
Worktime encompasses the daily tasks (changing diapers, feeding, holding, singing, playing, observing, cleaning) and activities such as going to the gym, taking walks around the neighborhood, and playing outside. In the course of those activities, we demonstrate to the children our responsiveness and respect, and develop individual friendships with them.
The Basics
§ Please be on time for your shift. You are part of our team and important component of the day. § Check in with teachers before your shift starts. This will give you an idea of the expectations of the day, an outline of the schedule and how the day is going § Always feel free to make suggestions as to activities or ways to do things. Your input and perspective is valued in the Infant Room. § Ask, ask, ask if you need clarification of anything. § Expect things to change as the babies do, even from one worktime to the next!
Attuning our care to nurture growth
While babies are dependent on adult care for health, safety and nurture, they are also very capable in many age-appropriate ways. With careful observation, adults can support babies when they need to work something out for themselves and step in to help when help is called for - always with safety as our bottom line.
Babies’ interests are guided by the powerful dynamic of their own development. Try to observe what engages their interest and what they are capable of - batting, grasping, mouthing, crawling, cruising, singing - and see that there are opportunities for them to play.
Tailor your participation to each baby’s abilities or needs. Babies can display tremendous determination as they struggle to roll from back to tummy, for instance. They’re working very hard, trying over and over again, telling you how difficult this is. Some words of encouragement will let a baby know you have confidence in their ability and are supporting the effort it takes to see the job through. Step in when it is clear the baby needs you.
Let them observe their world and initiate. Interact respectfully with words and actions. Bring your sense of fun… and play!
Communication
Communication among infants’ caregivers is essential to their well-being, We will exchange information when infants arrive, throughout the day, and when the babies leave. During worktime you will be putting information on our white board about feedings, diaper changes and naps for other parents to read at pick up time. All the while we are communicating with the babies, verbally and non-verbally about what they’re doing, what’s going on around them and reflecting their signals to us.
Responding verbally to the babies’ needs, cues and play can take different forms. You may want to describe the situation as a way of acknowledgement, “I see how you’re working to put the cups together” or “you’re having fun shaking that rattle”. You may want to ask questions. “Are you trying to tell me you are hungry?” or “Would you like to read this book again?” If the situation calls for it, you may want to label a feeling or a need. “You’re feeling sad because you had to say goodbye to your dad” or “ you’re ready to get up from the snack table.” Generally describing what is about to happen, “I’m going to change your diaper” or sometimes giving a play by play, “I’m taking your wet diaper off now. I’m putting on some cream because you have a rash. I have two more snaps to do before I can take you off of the changing table” can be useful. By observing and articulating their needs you are respecting the babies and engaging them in their own care. Sometimes silence is appropriate. Facial expressions and body language are important ways to get ideas across. Sign language plays a big role in the Infant Room. Babies typically know a number of common signs by the end of the year. We have a couple of sign dictionaries and try to expand our vocabulary with the babies every year. Often not saying anything at all is best, respecting and observing the quiet hum of activity. It is neither necessary nor desirable to constantly initiate engagement with the babies. Don’t be afraid to let them take the lead. If you are responsive, observant and caring, the babies will learn they have a genuine friend in you. Again, try to gage your interaction to what seems most fitting for each baby, each situation.
Adults who are calm and alert keep the stress level low and attention on the kids, key elements for healthy childcare. Loud or abrupt voices can make infants startle and cry or just add to edginess. Parent worktime can be a great opportunity for everyone to get to know each other - that’s a plus. We may get to chatting, which is enjoyable and enlightening. The negative side of adult talk is that the focus on children may become blurred. Each adult needs to self-monitor and continually bring attention back to babies.
Health and Safety
We make every effort to provide a healthy, safe environment to the babies to eat, sleep and play.
§ Since our babies are floor dwellers and mouth-ers extraordinaire, adult outdoor shoes must be left at the door. Socks, slippers or bare feet are welcome.
§ Wash or sanitize hands frequently during the day but always: o Upon coming into the Infant Room o Before preparing food o After diapering o After wiping a nose
§ Observe the center’s policy on children’s illnesses, which you can find in your parent handbook. § Keep an eye out for choking hazards, with both food and toys. § Be aware of allergies that may be in the room. All classrooms in the center are now peanut-free, but many other allergies exist. We post a list of our children’s allergies on our refrigerator. § Safety is very important but we do value the babies’ abilities. If you have mixed feelings and are not sure whether an activity or a toy is safe, check in with the other adults. § While it can be important not to move around a lot, it is equally important that you are active - with your eyes, ears, and personal attention - towards several infants at once. § Position yourself and the children in such a way that you can help as needed. This is especially true on our loft (an adult always must accompany babies on the stairs and loft) and in the wide-open spaces of the gym and the yard. Kids need wheel-toys, riding bikes, jumping on the mats, and sliding. The danger is having one infant jumping unsteadily onto the mats on one side of the room while another threatens to fall headlong down the slide on the other side of the room, 30 feet away. Be strategic in where you position yourself. Doing eye sweeps or counting heads are ways to keep track of everyone.
Separations
Saying goodbye to their parents may be the most difficult thing an infant or toddler has to do. Sometimes it evokes sadness, anger, or fear in the child, and sometimes it doesn’t. Goodbyes may be marked by stormy tears, bare acknowledgment, or a happy wave. It is very important that we understand and respect the child’s feelings and respond appropriately - with comfort and finding a peaceful focus for them to calm themselves, or by allowing the child to sally forth merrily. Separation is a transition, a gateway to a day surrounded by friends and loving caregivers, and many important and interesting things to do and experience. Children will experience many, many such transitions. In the infant room we work with children to build an expectation that however turbulent a transition may be, there are understanding adults to available to them. Working through separations help develop resilience: self-awareness and an ability to move on with confidence.
As a parent, it is almost always somewhat wrenching to leave your baby. Here are some pointers that may help you and support your baby at separation times:
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