Ages 6 Weeks+ | Low Teacher-to-Child Ratios | Individualized Routines | Play-Based Learning
The first years of life are filled with extraordinary growth, and we believe babies deserve the time, space, and relationships they need to experience it at their own pace.
Our Infant Program provides a warm, responsive environment where each baby is cared for as an individual. Our educators take the time to learn each child’s cues, routines, preferences, personality, and developing interests while building the secure relationships that help babies feel safe enough to explore.
From snuggles and conversations to tummy time, sensory exploration, books, music, and outdoor experiences, even the smallest moments become opportunities for connection and learning.
INDIVIDUALIZED CARE & ROUTINES
No two babies are exactly alike, and we don’t expect their days to look exactly alike either. Our infant educators work closely with families to understand each child’s individual routines, cues, preferences, and changing needs.
Feeding, sleeping, diapering, play, and comfort are approached responsively throughout the day. As babies grow and their routines change, we adjust alongside them while maintaining the consistency and familiarity that helps them feel secure.
Families are encouraged to communicate with our educators about changes happening at home, including feeding routines, sleep patterns, developmental milestones, and emerging needs so that home and childcare can work together to support each child.
FEEDING
Individual feeding schedules are followed based on each baby’s needs and family-provided instructions. As infants grow and begin exploring solid foods, we work with families to support that transition safely and comfortably.
SLEEP & REST
Infants are given opportunities to rest according to their individual sleep needs rather than being expected to follow a single classroom nap schedule. Safe sleep practices are followed during every rest period.
RESPONSIVE CARE
Diapering, feeding, comforting, and other caregiving routines are more than tasks to complete. They are opportunities for one-on-one connection, conversation, trust, and learning between babies and their educators.
LEARNING BEGINS FROM DAY ONE
Babies are learning from the moment they arrive. Every sound they hear, object they reach for, face they study, and movement they attempt helps them make sense of themselves and the world around them.
Our infant curriculum is built around play, relationships, exploration, and everyday experiences. Educators thoughtfully create opportunities that encourage babies to move, communicate, investigate, and discover while following each child’s individual development and interests.
Learning isn’t limited to planned activities. A diaper change can become a conversation, reaching for a toy builds coordination, looking at a book supports early language, and watching leaves move outside can become an entire investigation. We recognize these everyday moments as meaningful parts of infant development.
MOVEMENT & DISCOVERY
Babies are given plenty of opportunities for tummy time, reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling up, and eventually taking those exciting first steps. Our environment allows infants to practice new skills safely and at their own pace.
LANGUAGE & CONNECTION
Talking, singing, reading, gestures, facial expressions, and back-and-forth interactions are woven throughout the day. Educators respond to babies’ sounds and communication attempts, helping build the foundations for language and social development.
SENSORY EXPLORATION
Infants explore with their entire bodies. Age-appropriate sensory experiences introduce different textures, sounds, colors, temperatures, natural materials, and other interesting things to investigate through hands-on play.
OUTDOOR EXPLORATION
Fresh air isn’t reserved for the big kids. Whenever conditions allow, our infants have opportunities to spend time outdoors experiencing the sights, sounds, textures, and changing seasons of Vermont.
For a baby, outdoor time might mean feeling a breeze, watching tree branches move, listening to birds, touching grass, going for a ride, or exploring the environment as they become increasingly mobile. These seemingly simple experiences offer rich opportunities for sensory learning, movement, curiosity, and connection with the natural world.
A DAY IN OUR INFANT ROOM
Our infant room follows a comfortable rhythm rather than a rigid schedule. Because feeding, sleeping, and care needs vary from baby to baby, each child’s individual routine remains at the center of their day while shared experiences provide opportunities for play, connection, and exploration.
Throughout the day, infants move naturally between caregiving routines, rest, and developmentally appropriate experiences. Depending on each child’s needs and stage of development, their day may include floor play, books and songs, sensory experiences, outdoor time, art and creative exploration, movement, and plenty of one-on-one interaction with their educators.
STAYING CONNECTED WITH FAMILIES
We know how important it is to feel connected to your baby’s day, especially when they’re too little to tell you about it themselves. Our educators communicate with families throughout the day and share information about each child’s care, routines, and experiences.
Through ChildPilot, families can receive updates about their child’s day, including feedings, diaper changes, naps, activities, and other important information. Photos and classroom updates also offer families a glimpse into the learning, play, and little moments happening while their child is with us.
Communication goes both ways. Families are encouraged to share information from home that may affect their baby’s day, whether it’s a change in sleep, a new food, an exciting milestone, or simply that the morning started differently than usual. Those details help us understand and respond to each baby more thoughtfully.
HEALTH, SAFETY & INFANT CARE
Creating a safe, healthy environment is at the heart of infant care at Little Roots. Our educators carefully supervise infants throughout the day while maintaining clean, developmentally appropriate spaces designed for babies to move, explore, rest, and grow.
Caregiving routines are approached with both safety and connection in mind. From bottle preparation and diapering to sanitizing materials and maintaining safe play spaces, our practices are designed to support the health and well-being of every child in our care.
SAFE SLEEP
All Little Roots infant educators complete training in safe sleep practices. Infants are provided with their own individual sleep space, and safe sleep practices are followed during every rest period. Our educators regularly monitor sleeping infants while supporting each baby’s individual need for rest.
CLEAN & HEALTHY SPACES
Infant materials, play areas, and caregiving spaces are routinely cleaned and sanitized. Because babies explore the world with their hands, mouths, and entire bodies, maintaining a clean environment is an important part of our everyday routine.
ATTENTIVE SUPERVISION
Our low teacher-to-child ratios allow educators to remain closely connected to the infants in their care. Teachers observe children’s cues, development, interactions, and changing needs throughout the day while providing responsive supervision and support.
GROWING WITH YOUR CHILD
Babies change quickly, and their environment should grow with them. As infants become more mobile, begin eating new foods, develop new ways to communicate, and gain increasing independence, our educators adapt experiences and routines to support each new stage of development.
We celebrate the little milestones that aren’t actually so little: the first time a baby rolls over, sits independently, crawls toward something interesting, signs or says a new word, pulls to stand, or takes those first wobbly steps.
As children approach toddlerhood, our infant and toddler educators work together to help make the transition into the next classroom familiar and comfortable. Rather than treating the move as a sudden change, we want children to enter their next stage at Little Roots with relationships, confidence, and a sense of belonging already taking root.
READY TO GROW WITH US?
