The Infant Program
[6 weeks -13 months]
Children’s Village’s Infant Program provides a safe, secure, warm and caring environment for your baby to grow and thrive. The program welcomes infants ages 6 weeks and older, with full-time or part-time availability. There is one teacher for every three infants, and the program takes care to adhere to the highest quality of state and national standards.
Play and nurturing relationships are at the heart of the active learning curriculum in the infant program. Inspired by the HighScope curriculum, the teaching team guides early experiences toward a lifelong love of learning, at each child’s individual pace. In close partnership and daily communication with parents, a consistent yet flexible schedule is followed to create an environment in which children feel loved and secure. The infant learning environment encourages movement, curiosity, exploration, and communication in all of its forms.
For enrollment information, please click here.
Scroll for our Infant Care Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
View the photo gallery below of our Infant Care Program!
Infant Care Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
As you consider care and education options, we hope to give you all of the information you need to make the best decision for your infant and family. This FAQ is a starting point. We look forward to ‘continuing the conversation’ via telephone and/or email. Our contact information is included below!
How long has Children’s Village offered an Infant Care Program?
We opened our Infant Care Program in September 2020. While this program is relatively new, our commitment to children and families is longstanding. We were founded in 1976 and have educated thousands of young children, guided by the highest quality standards and respecting families as children’s most important teachers.
The heart of our program is our teachers. Our teachers are highly qualified, caring, and committed to developing close relationships with the children entrusted to their care. Our infant teaching team is composed of a lead teacher and three assistant teachers. Each infant is assigned a primary caregiver who is the designated staff member assuming primary responsibility for the infant’s care. They develop a close relationship with the child by assisting with daily routines of feeding, diapering, sleeping, and play.
The teaching team provides consistency and a warm environment in which children feel loved and secure.
Our teachers recognize that you are the most important person in your child’s life. They partner with you through daily communication to support your infant’s growth and development. Children’s Village is a wonderfully diverse community and embraces and respects every family’s culture and traditions.
What kinds of toys and materials do the infants play with?
The space is designed specifically for the needs of infants, providing a safe, secure, and soothing environment. To foster sensory learning, teachers encourage active, hands-on play. Inspired by the HighScope curriculum, the teaching team guides early experiences toward a lifelong love of learning, at each child’s individual pace.
Board books, puzzles, percussion instruments, and cause-and-effect toys (such as hitting a piano key and an animal toy pops up) are among the play items sparking curiosity and inviting babies to discover. Our teachers frequently describe to your infant what's happening throughout the day and this important ‘narration’ helps infants build lifelong language skills.
In addition to full-time care, do you offer part-time care?
Yes, we provide care both full-time (5 days a week) and part-time (2 or 3 days per week). Part-time schedules are available when two or more families can divide up the week without overenrolling the class on any given day.
What are the hours?
Children’s Village is open from 6:30 AM until 6:00 PM.
How can I obtain information on the fees and find the application and other forms that I will need to enroll my child?
You can download our Fee Schedule and application from the How to Enroll page of our website.
What other forms do I need to complete and when do I need to return them?
You must also submit a completed Child Health Report. You may submit it at the time of application or you may wait until your child is ready to enroll. You can download this form on the How to Enroll page on our website.
Do you accept ELRC PA subsidy (formerly called CCIS) for the Infant Care Program?
We accept ELRC PA subsidy for infants enrolled full-time in our program. We cannot accept ELRC subsidy for part-time care.
Do I provide diapers and diapering supplies?
Yes. Families provide diapers and diapering supplies.
What can we expect at the intake interview?
Here’s what you can expect during the intake process:
We gather contact information for anyone permitted to pick up your child as well as for those you would want us to call in event of an emergency.
We will also ask your arrival/pick-up time needs.
We will ask about your child’s nutrition, medical, and other restrictions.
We will discuss your child’s routines (eating, sleeping, diapering, comfort items).
We will ask about your child’s interests and favorite activities.
We will ask about how your child communicates their feelings and needs.
We will ask about how your child approaches new people and new settings, and how we might help your child adjust to Children’s Village.
How do you communicate with me throughout the day?
We value a close partnership and daily communication with parents. We use the communication app, Class Dojo, to exchange information. Parents may use the messaging feature to share relevant details about your child. If you want to express immediate or timely concerns about your child’s care, however, we recommend that you call on the phone. Call our main number, and we will connect you to the infant room where you can talk with your child’s primary caregiver. Teachers will complete the daily “What I Did Today” forms to detail feeding, sleeping, diaper changes, and daily activities.
Where will my infant sleep and how do you schedule naptime?
We learn from the information that you have shared with us to create a consistent routine for your child. Each infant has their own crib, which you may personalize with a fitted crib sheet. We do have spare fitted crib sheets onsite as well, as needed. The classroom’s temperature is kept at comfortable levels (where adults feel comfortable in a t-shirt) and the room is equipped with dimmer switches to lower the lighting during rest times.
We have been encouraging tummy time with our infant. What kind of space is available for tummy time?
Infants enjoy tummy time in a number of places, such as on the Infant Program’s carpeted areas and mats, with their teacher beside them.
Do the children go outside?
Children age 6 months and older will travel outside in one of our buggies. Children 6 months and older enjoy tummy time on a blanket outdoors at local parks.
I feed my infant breast milk. How do you store the breast milk?
We ask that you provide pre-filled bottles with completed labels affixed to each. We provide these labels to you. You only have to provide what your infant typically consumes in the amount of time the infant will be at Children’s Village. Bottles are stored in the refrigerator on a tray that is specified for each child. If you would like to store frozen breast milk onsite as a backup, we can also do so.
I have more questions. Who should I contact?
Please contact Beth Baker, Family Services Director, at bethb@childrensvillagephila.org or (215) 931-0192, or Marie Marks, Early Childhood Coordinator, mariem@childrensvillagephila.org or (215) 922-0597, with any questions. We are happy to provide whatever information you need. The more you know about us, the better you will feel about your decision. We look forward to hearing from you!