Welcome to The Infant I Room

While young children thrive on consistency and routines, we are aware that each child has its own personality and unique needs. But, to feel safe, children need to be able to predict what will happen next in their lives. That is why at Kare-A-Lot we follow routines every day in a warm and nurturing environment. Everything that we do with our children has been carefully planned with the safety and wellbeing of all children in mind.

We work closely with parents as partners and want to be supportive of your efforts to raise a healthy, happy and curious child.

Nutrition and Feeding Schedules

Parents provide all the food that babies eat up to 8 months of age. The center provides table food for infants 8 months and older. We feed breakfast to those children that come earlier in the morning. If you give breakfast to your child at home, let the teacher know and write it on the daily activity chart.

We serve lunch around 11:30AM to the older infants that are already on a schedule. Younger babies are fed on demand only. We cannot force a child to eat, neither can we deny food to a hungry child. We are happy to honor your feeding instructions, however we must follow what we consider is developmentally appropriate for a young infant.

Older babies eat lunch in groups.

Eating is an opportunity to socialize.

We serve the afternoon snack to the older infants around 3:00PM. Young children tend to eat smaller portions more often during the day.

Keep in mind a few things:

• Keep extra formula in your cubby
• Bring some extra food just in case we run out.
• Bottles, breast milk and other food must be labeled with your child's initials.·
• We start babies on finger foods around 8 months of age. We will talk this over with you when the time comes·
• We introduce the cup around 6 months

We know how important breastfeeding is to the health of a child. Kare-A-Lot supports breastfeeding by:

Welcoming, keeping and serving expressed human milk for feeding.

We receive human milk in ready-to feed sanitary containers labeled with: name and date.

We warm breastmilk in our crockpot, only.

For nutritional purposes, our teachers gently mix the milk before feeding.

We provide a comfortable place for breastfeeding.

Napping Schedules

Sleeping is a very important part of the daily routine in the infant room. Young children in group care need to rest and relax away from the noise and movement of the room. Older babies tend to take two naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Most naps last from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Younger infants sleep at their pleasure throughout the day. We do not force any child to sleep. Some children sleep longer at the center, others will sleep less. This depends on the child's internal rhythm. By the time a baby is 6 to 8 months old, he/she has established their own napping schedule. Some infants will sleep for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. This schedule does not provide them with the needed rest and the child will fuss all day long. We work with this child slowly every day to put her/him on some kind of napping routine.

Diapers and Cleaning Routines

Teachers change each child's diaper as needed throughout the day. Usually we change diapers twice in the morning, at lunch time and twice in the afternoon. We bag all soiled diapers. We remove the trash from the room twice per day. We use a solution of bleach and water to clean all diaper change areas after each use. Teachers are required to wash their hands after each diaper change and before handling food.

We wash toys at least once per day, more often if necessary. We also wash all the equipment in the room at the end of each day. The floor is mopped, the carpet is vacuumed and the shelves are wiped off at the end of the day. The carpets are professionally cleaned every three months.

We suggest that you wash your hands before you pick up your child at the end of the day. We also appreciate it if you cleaned your shoes before you enter the room.

Hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of illnesses in a child care center. We ask that parents wash their own hands and their child's hands when they arrive at the center before attending class.

Administration of Medication

Teachers can only administer medication with written permission from the parents and physician. Parents must complete an Administration of Medication Form for over the counter medicine and keep it at the center. We need to have some kind of pain and fever reliever medication in your child's cubby. For prescription medication, parents must complete an additional Administration of Medication Form. Medicine must be brought to KAL in its original container.

Children’s clothing and Other Belongings

• Every child must have at least five diapers in their cubbies each day.
• Every child must have two changes of clothing in their cubbies at all times.
• The center provides crib sheets, parents must provide the blankets.
• Every Friday, parents take all bedding home to wash.
• Children need to dress according to the weather.
• The school is air conditioned in the summer.
• Babies prefer to wear booties in the winter to keep their toes warm.
• We like to have hats for the summer.

Developmental Records. Parent/Teacher Conferences

At least once per year you will receive a record of the developmental progress of your child. In addition, we offer the opportunity for parent and teacher conferences throughout the year. Throughout the year the teachers will keep you informed on how your child is behaving and developing at the center. We keep track of your child's development in the major areas of development: large and small motor skills, language, social and cognitive.

Thirty days after enrollment we ask the parents to complete the Ages & Stages questionnaire. This questionnaire is a screening tool for teachers to assess the child's developmental stage. Please feel free to ask questions or share your concerns in this area with us.

Communications Between Parents and Care Givers

If we want to provide a loving, learning, and safe environment for your child we need to work together and trust each other. We build this trust by keeping the lines of communication open at all times. We complete a daily activity chart for your child every day. Please sign your child in and out. Complete the parent section of the form so all care givers that work with your child know what you want them to do. Also read the chart every day for our comments and requests. Each classroom's Lead Teacher emails a monthly newsletter to inform our parents of what is happening in the classroom for the month. However, we do not send newsletters during the summer months. If you have a concern or suggestion, please talk to your lead teachers. If you do not get a satisfied answer, talk to the director. We take your concerns seriously because we want you to trust us.

KAL Safe Sleep Practices

• All infants must be placed on their backs to sleep.
• After being placed in their backs infants may be allowed to assume a comfortable position when they can turn themselves from the back position.
• Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, and stuffed toys are not allowed in the cribs.
• The infant's head must remain uncovered during sleep.
• Wedges may be used only with your Doctor's authorization.