Infant/Nido Rooms

All parents are required to sign their child in and out using the computers in the vestibule or by scanning the QR code (posted near all school entrances) with a personal cell phone.

Drop Off

• Drop off will be at the exterior door to the child's assigned classroom.
• Parents must sign children in on the computers in the vestibule or on their personal cell phone.

Pick Up

• Pick up will be at the exterior door to the child's assigned classroom.
• Teachers will bring your child to the door with their belongings.
• Please remember, you must sign your child out on the computers in the vestibule or on your personal cell phone. 

Each student has their own locker with a label and basket, if needed, for personal items. 

We ask that parents provide:

• Prepared bottles and/or food daily
• Water cup daily (for older infants)
• Diapers
• Unscented, hypoallergenic, alcohol free wipes diaper wipes
• Extra set of clothing, including outdoor shoes for mobile infants, and weather appropriate outdoor gear
• An approved sleep sack
• A blanket for children over 12 months
• Two pacifiers (if the child uses one) and a pacifier clip
• Any other personal items the child might need

**All items must be clearly labeled with the child's first and last name.

Refrigerator

Bottles, milk cups, and water cups will be kept in the refrigerator and must  must be labeled with the child’s name, the date, and the contents of the bottle/container. (Per Michigan Licensing rules.)

Bottles must be premade with the proper estimated amount per feeding. (Per Michigan Licensing rules.

Lockers

Lunch boxes will be stored in the child's locker, so please include an icepack if necessary.

Lunch boxes must be labeled with the child's full name and date.

Eating Area

When children start eating solid food/purees, we encourage them to sit at the table in the eating area. If your child is new to sitting in a chair on their own, we may use a single lap strap to ensure their safety as they learn to balance in the chair. 

All students 12 months and younger sleep in their own cribs provided by Northstar.

• According to licensing rules, children under the age of 1 year cannot have anything in the crib with them, but a sleep sack can be worn.
• Children over the age of 12 months will begin to transition to sleeping on a cot.
• Blankets and "loveys" are sent home weekly on the child’s last day of the week and all cribs and cots are bleached on Friday nights.
• We encourage sleep training and self soothing as we are a Montessori Classroom and it truly benefits the child’s independence.

Parents are asked to supply both diapers and diaper wipes.

• Diapers are specific to each child, but wipes are used communally.
• If a child needs to use certain wipes, parents need only bring wipes for their child, being sure to label the package with the child's full name. 
• Each child has an assigned slot under the diaper changing table, and there is extra storage for diapers elsewhere in the classroom.

Lesson plans are posted near the classroom door and change monthly. We are a Montessori School, so instead of having a set curriculum, we pay attention to and follow the developmental needs of the children each month. We make sure they are meeting milestones while being exposed to practical and everyday life skills.

Between the ages of 15 and 18 months, children transition from the Nido/Infant Classroom to the Pre-primary/Toddler Classroom. In order to facilitate this move, at around 1 year of age we will:

• Start to transition the child from multiple naps throughout the day to one nap in the afternoon, if possible.
• Encourage the child to feed themselves according to the following schedule: 
  • Morning snack around 9 am
  • Lunch around 12 pm
  • Afternoon snack around 3 pm
• Encourage the child to transition from bottles to a cup of milk a day and a water cup for all day use.
• Have the child visit the Toddler Rooms so that we may determine the classroom that best suits the child and their development. 
• Parents will be notified of their child’s move up date as soon as the teachers are notified. This gives parents time to ask questions, meet the new teachers, and prepare themselves and their child for the transition. 

The programs in both the Infant Rooms and the Toddler Rooms are based on the individual child’s needs. Once your child is 12 months old they will begin to transition to the Toddler room schedule if it is developmentally appropriate for them.  We recognize that all children develop at their own pace and all times and ages are approximate.