Infant Programs
1.5 months to 15 months
From the very first time we meet your babies, our staff foster
warm and positive relationships with them. We work with your
babies to develop their sense of trust in the world and those
around them. We create routines using our curricula* to help
ease transitions and give your babies the focus and attention
they need to develop gross motor skills, language, and
socio-emotional growth. To do so, we use the Creative Curriculum
and the Active Learning Series.
At Crispus Attucks Children's Center, we nurture and care for each
child individually, helping them grow up strong and smart. Every day, our
trained teachers guide children through a range of multi-sensory activities
that help them learn, share, and most of all enjoy their childhood. From
babies as young as one month to boisterous pre-schoolers up to age six,
Crispus Attucks Children's Center is there to guide your child through all
stages of their development.
CACC uses The Creative Curriculum (CC) assessment tool to measure infant/toddler developmental progress and make curriculum adjustments to address identified needs. It is a commercially-developed research-based tool for early education. Initial assessments occur at enrollment and at the beginning of each school year, and teachers develop a curriculum plan, which is reviewed in monthly team meetings to track progress in achieving milestones in four areas: social-emotional development, physical development, cognitive development, and language development. Infants are evaluated formally five times a year, and toddlers three times a year.
We use the results of assessments of progress in these four areas to shape curriculum and instruction planning. In social-emotional development, CC evaluates infant/toddler progress in learning about themselves and relating to others. In physical development, progress/learning focuses on movement through basic gross and fine motor skills. Cognitive development focuses on progress/learning about the world/how things work, and language development focuses on progress in learning to communicate/express themselves.
Teachers monitor progress in achieving milestones in classroom settings by recording observations in each child's log book. They then make recommendations for interventions, as needed. A portfolio is maintained for each child that visually records the progress of all children in a classroom, to compare classrooms of similar ages, and look at the entire infant/toddler program to implement appropriate changes, supervision and training. Data are used to plan activities offering opportunities for each child to make developmental progress. Using the online version of CC allows head teachers and administrators to compare across classrooms.
For children not meeting age-appropriate goals, individual plans are created by identifying needs; establishing measurable support service objectives; designating service responsibility; and establishing documentation requirements. These plans are evaluated monthly and are key to tracking progress in overcoming barriers and communicating with parents.
Assessment results help pinpoint our staff's development needs, allowing coordinators to identify areas where teachers' skills need upgrading, and enabling us to target our staff training programs or to encourage teachers to take college courses. Teachers must be able to use results of the assessments, teach the curriculum effectively, and be competent in meeting the developmental needs of infants/toddlers in order to maximize their progress. As a result, we have professional development days throughout the school year so that way teachers are always being trained to the best of their ability. This ensures our high-quality education for your child(ren).
Assessment results are key to communicating your children's progress among teachers and to parents. Child progress is reviewed weekly by teachers and monthly by the Inter-Disciplinary Team (education coordinator, social service supervisor and early childhood mental health specialist). Parents receive classroom reports twice monthly. If special needs are indicated, there are frequent parent-teacher meetings to review the child's progress and the plan. Parent-Teacher conferences (4 infant/2 toddlers) provide progress reports and provide support for our families. When children move within the program, the social service supervisor and education coordinator communicate each child's history to the new teaching team so they are also up to date.
Individual assessment files are securely maintained in classroom cabinets to ensure access to enter progress notes. Access to online assessment data requires a password. At the end of each year, all information is entered into a secure year-end document. Parent meetings are held in private. Find out more about the diverse, caring, and enriching experience we can provide for your child by contacting us today.
