Infant Programs

The infant environment at Fusion Schools is one that is ever changing to keep curious explorers constantly engaged. Despite the constant rotation of manipulatives, the infant room remains organized into several areas:

•  Non-walkers: A safe, soft area designed to challenge and engage the immobile infant to begin to develop gross and fine motor skills.
• Reading Nook: An area with soft furnishings, a mirror, a rug and books designed to allow infants to relax and experience the joys of reading.
• Jungle Gym: An area designed to challenge mobile infants to develop their gross motor skills. It consists of a soft climbing structure that is constantly being redesigned to keep active infants engaged
• Reading/Writing Station: A n area designed to engage infants in activities that promote literacy and reading skills (i.e. alphabet blocks, puzzles, etch-a-sketches, etc.).
• Math Station: An area designed to engage infants in activities that promote early math skills (i.e. number puzzles, blocks, shapes, etc.).
• Pretend Play: An area designed to give infants the opportunity to use their imaginations and creativity (i.e. dress up, pretend kitchen, pretend baby care, etc.).
• Music Station: An area that is designed to expose infants to the world of music through instruments. It remains stocked with a variety of instruments  perfect for any young musician (i.e. cymbals, drum, bells, etc.).

Soft surfaces cover most of the infant space at Fusion Schools, however, there are hard surfaces that remain exposed for additional gross motor activities (i.e. pushing strollers, pushing shopping carts, using ride-on-toys, etc.).

While it is important for infants to direct most of their own play, at Fusion Schools, our infants are also exposed to a limited amount of Teacher Directed Activities. Teacher Directed Activities give infants the opportunity to explore activities that they may not yet be developmentally ready to do on their own. While circle time involves infants of all ages, Teacher Directed Activities differ by age.

Examples of Teacher Directed Activities by Age:

• 6 weeks to 3 months: Development of Gross Motor skills such as lifting head. Tummy Time with the loving supervision of a teacher
• 3 to 6 months: Exploration of Fine Motor Skills such as grasping and Gross Motor skills that will ready the infant for crawling. Rattles and other small objects are hung just out of infant's reach to promote grasping and a strengthening of forearms.
• 6 to 9 months: Development of Gross Motor Skills that will ready the infant for walking. Time spent in the pretend kitchen with items strategically placed to encourage infant to pull themselves up and pick-up objects and interact with them with the loving supervision and guidance of a teacher.
• 9 to 12 months: Object Permanence & Art Exploration: Playing games with a teacher that support the development of Object Permanence (i.e. peek-a-boo, hiding objects and finding them, etc.). Infants may also at this time begin participating in art projects if they are developmentally ready.
• 12 to 18 months: Art exploration and the development of Fine Motor Skills: Art project designed to expose infants to similar subject matter being taught in the preschool (i.e. shape collage, easel painting, crayon drawing, play doh letters, etc.).
• 18 to 24 months: Fine Motor and Verbal Skills Development: Discussion Circles that allow toddlers to begin to express their thoughts and feelings through speech and gestures. Activity would end by creating a painting using small brushes at the table.

Circle Time is also an important component of the infant program. Circle Time gives teachers and infants an opportunity to get together as a group and welcome the day. Circle Time consists of singing songs, dancing and playing games. While infants are not forced to participate in Circle Time, they are lovingly encouraged.