Cuddle Bears – Infants and Toddlers
The Cuddle Bears program in Vista is a self-contained room for children from birth through 24 months. Our goal is to create a partnership with parents that will ensure that each child receives the very best care while at the center. A partnership begins with open communication and mutual respect between families and staff. Parents are welcome to visit at any time.
Honey Bear Preschool and Child Care Center’s daily classroom practice and programming objectives are designed to support the programs philosophy and the established long-term goals. Goals for infants and toddlers in our care include:
Respecting each child as a unique and special person; attending to each child’s physical and psychological needs; fostering and developing a relationship with a caregiver the child can trust; providing a safe, healthy, and developmentally appropriate environment; creating opportunities to interact with other infants and toddlers; and, supporting children in their exploration and use of all their senses.
The Cuddle Bear curriculum is designed to build infant and toddler developmental skills through care giving and play. During care giving routines, such as feeding or diapering, the teacher gives each child their full, focused attention. Through care giving interactions, opportunities arise for children to learn important social, language, and self-help skills. Throughout the rest of the day we play.
The curriculum throughout the center focuses on the developmental needs of the child —emphasizing the integration of cognitive, physical, and social/emotional development. Summarized below are some of the ways the curriculum meets the needs of and challenges the infant and young toddler.
Motor Development Our program encourages exercise by providing a safe environment for children to practice emerging skills. We have safe places to climb and pull up; equipment to grasp to help walking; open spaces for scooting, crawling and walking; and, carts to push. To improve small motor development, there are rattles to hold, shake and handle; teething toys, shape toys; and, objects to stack. Teachers further encourage physical development by expressing an interest in and acknowledging the child’s accomplishments.
Language Development
Children are spoken to frequently throughout the day. Songs are sung and stores read. We build upon the children’s vocabularies by talking about the foods they eat, the things they see, objects we use in play and the names of the children and their friends.
Cognitive Development
Our program encourages cognitive development by providing an interesting “hands-on” environment that invites learning. Through exploration and discovery, children begin to learn such cognitive milestones as object permanence and cause and effect.
Social Development An important component of social development is self concept. Infant schedules are individualized, which fosters the child’s security about his or her environment. Holding, hugging and one-on-one interaction between teachers and children help to build a trusting bond. Children use this bond as a security base from which they explore their environment and learn about the world.
Curriculum
Honey Bear Preschool and Child Care Center designed the Cuddle Bear classroom and outdoor environment around a theme of over, under, around and through- all from a very young child’s point of view. Quiet places, romping spaces, and laps to sit on are available at all times. Teachers plan curriculum on a weekly basis around a theme such as primary colors, nursery rhymes, pets, farm animals and seasonal activities.
Teachers pull from a wise variety of appropriate curriculum to keep these young children busy. Listed below are just a few of the activities wee walkers love to do:
Sensory: Water play, birdseed, jello, playdoh, shaving cream, leaves, large and small cotton balls to touch, squeeze, poke, scoop, and pour. Art: The use of toddler-sized crayons and chalk. Painting with brushes, sponges, feathers, fingers and cookie cutters. Large Motor: Balls to bounce; bikes to ride; stick toys, baby buggies and carts to push and pull; and open spaces to explore. Small Motor: Things to put-together, pull-apart, stack, tumble, carry and hold, — large pegs in a board, shape toys, one and two piece puzzles, stack toys, and pop beads. Language: Books, puppets, flannel board stories and conversations galore. Science: Walking around the yard to look at leaves, animals, grass and trees. Pine cones, rocks and other nature things to touch and hold. Cooking: Preparing a snack or lunch. Dramatic Play: Dress-up clothes, hats and purses to try, mirrors to look in, and dishes and dolls for family play. Self-Help Skills: Learning to take off shoes and socks, pushing in the chair after lunch and washing hands and faces. Music: Sing-along-songs, finger plays, scarf dancing, and musical instruments to pound and shake.