Infant Summer Camps
Overview
The Laurel Hill infant program is a place where your baby will begin to establish a secure sense of self. With the support of caregivers, infants begin the lifelong process of exploration and learning. While always exposing every child to the full breadth of resources and activities available to them, we are sure to allow each child’s natural rhythms and temperament to determine his or her daily schedule. The infant program maintains a ratio of 3 infants to 1 caregiver.
Music and Movement:
Equipped with musical instruments, toys that make noise when manipulated, and toys that sing! Exposure to music stimulates babies desire to learn, creates feelings of excitement and enjoyment, and encourages babies’ desire to interact with others to follow, sing along and move along with music.
Swimming:
It wouldn’t be summer without swimming and water play! Children 18-24 months enjoy a daily swim in our heated kiddie pool. A Red Cross certified instructor works with the children’s counselors to facilitate a fun and instructive swimming session. To insure the safety of our young campers, each infant is equipped with a floatation device and is carefully monitored in the water. Infants are introduced to beginning skills, such as blowing bubbles under water and arm strokes, using imaginative games. Each swim session concludes with ample time for a splashing good time enjoying a variety of water toys!
Nature:
Infants can be found visiting animal friends and tending vegetables at Laurel Hill’s child-size Farm and Garden. Horses, sheep, goats, chickens, birds, and bunny rabbits live happily alongside our flourishing Garden overflowing with tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers and more.
Creative Arts & Exploration:
Equipped with a mirrored wall and photo books. Research has shown that infants are drawn to images of their own faces. Mirrors attract and sustain infants’ attention while helping them develop a sense of their own bodies and to orient themselves in space. Our mirrored wall also allows babies to maintain contact with caregivers even when they are not being held in their arms.
Gross Motor Play:
Stocked with activity walkers, large climbing mats, and push and pull play toys, encouraging development of gross motor skills including reaching, object transfer, head raising and sitting upright.
Fine Motor and Self-Help Skills Building:
Using objects such as stacking blocks and reaction toys, the center encourages the development of two skill sets. These include fine motor skills, such as grasping, raking with fingers to pick up objects, holding and manipulating objects, and self-help skills, including grasping and holding a bottle while feeding and pulling up to standing position.
Storytelling Center:
Builds upon our goal of maximizing opportunities for language development by exposing children to storybooks, puppets, and soft stuffed animals that can be manipulated to create engaging tales.
Practical Matters – Hygiene, Nutrition and Security
Every aspect of our Infant Program is designed to protect children’s health and safety,and maintaining rigorous hygiene in the Infant Room is an essential element of this goal. Laurel Hill procedures include . . .
- Building and classroom security for arrival, dismissal and pick-up of children
- Full-time nurse on duty
- Childproofed cupboards, electrical outlets and door knobs
- Finger guards on all entry and exit door edges
- Toss-away shoe covers
- Regular sanitizing of toys, floors and play, work and service areas
- Frequent laundering of bedding, washcloths and bibs
- Protective gloves worn by staff for diapering and other personal baby needs
- Changing table liners discarded after single use
- Frequent hand washing in classroom sink
- Complete sanitation procedures for safely storing food and removing waste