CWS Infant Curriculum at a Glance
THE 3 E’S: FOUNDATIONS FOR EXCELLENCE
At Creative World School, our Infant Curriculum is rooted in the 3 E’s: Education, Exploration, and Enrichment—pillars designed to inspire discovery, nurture development, and spark imagination. From their earliest days, infants are natural learners, and our curriculum provides a safe and stimulating environment where they can grow through meaningful interactions, hands-on activities, and creative play. Each element of our approach is carefully crafted to support their developmental milestones and encourage a lifelong love of learning.
Education
Thinking + Questioning = Learning
LANGUAGE
We believe babies need to be exposed to as much language as possible to support their emerging skills. Our teachers are talking all the time! They describe what they are doing, what is happening next, sing songs, and read. We plan a variety of activities in the following areas: listening and talking, early reading, and early writing.
Math
Even very young babies use mathematical thinking to understand and explore the world around them. To strengthen understanding, our teachers help them experiment with concepts in the following areas: distance and space relationships, number and quantity, size and shape, and color.
SCIENCE
Infants figure out their world as they explore with their senses, just like young scientists. Babies become “investigators” as we present problem-solving opportunities. Each week, our teachers plan activities in the following areas: nature, cause and effect, and engagements to promote curiosity.
Exploration
Hand’s On Discovery of our World
FINE MOTOR
Infants develop hand coordination, control, and strength as they grow. To exercise their small muscles, we provide a variety of materials to hold, grasp, shake, pick up, and pull apart. As these skills develop, we vary the size of the objects.
GROSS MOTOR
Babies need to move, stretch, turn over, and push up. The role of our teachers is to guide and encourage these emerging large muscle skills. Younger infants, for example, practice holding up their head, waving their arms, kicking, etc.
SENSORY
We facilitate exploration with many sensory experiences. For example, teachers provide water play activities, such as splashing in a shallow tub. Beyond planned activities, our environment supports this type of exploration.
Enrichment
The Spark that Inspires Imagination
MUSIC
Music is an important aspect of the environment we create. A mix of upbeat and calming music creates the perfect atmosphere throughout the day. Our teachers also make music with babies by interacting with a variety of musical toys.
BLOCKS
Babies first grasp, hold, and drop blocks. Later, they begin stacking, loading, pushing, and building. We have many kinds of blocks in our infant rooms to inspire their building. We also provide boxes and canisters to explore nesting and how various items fit together.
CREATIVE ART
We introduce infants to a variety of art materials. At this age, art is about the exploration of materials, not a finished product. Art activities for older infants can include any of the following: painting, stamping, scribbling, smearing, gluing, sticking, etc.
DRAMATIC PLAY
Infants are delighted by simple props that spark their emerging imagination. Small animals, dolls, hats, and a variety of play props encourage language and creativity. Even an activity as simple as pretending to talk on a phone models important imaginative play.
Our Top 5 Foundations for Infant Development
Building Trust Through Interaction
Our caregivers build strong, trusting relationships with each baby, using consistent routines and nurturing interactions to create a secure foundation for growth.
Encouraging Sensory Exploration
Infants learn through their senses, and we provide them with engaging sensory experiences textures, sounds, and gentle movements that stimulate curiosity and support early brain development.
Fostering Language from Day One
From songs to stories, our caregivers immerse infants in language all day long. Talking, singing, and reading aloud expose babies to words and sounds that support their emerging language skills.
Supporting Physical Milestones
Through activities like tummy time, stretching, and guided movements, we encourage gross and fine motor development, helping babies gain strength, coordination, and confidence.
Inspiring Curiosity and Discovery
Simple, age-appropriate activities help infants become little explorers. Using toys, books, and gentle problem-solving exercises, we introduce them to cause-and-effect and other early cognitive skills.
A Day in the Life of an Infant
Our infant teachers know that every baby in their care is a special and unique individual. We begin by getting to know your child’s routines. How often do they eat? What time do they like to nap? This information is used to customize each baby’s day at Creative World. All of these daily routines are potential learning moments as our loving caregivers interact with your child.
With so many different schedules, we partner with you to ensure consistency for your baby. Families provide meals until it’s time for table food. We provide a daily record of each meal to keep you informed of what your child ate and when.
Hugs and cuddles are a natural part of regular routines as we talk, sing, and interact. Washing hands and even diaper changes are special one-on-one interactions. We want every baby to trust their caregiver and know they are loved.
Curriculum activities are woven into our daily schedule. We enrich, explore, and educate when babies are ready for learning moments. Weekly activities are posted on the classroom communication board and in lesson plans.
Inside activities include tummy time, crawling, pulling up, and more. We also provide outdoor experiences and stroller walks so children can benefit from fresh air and the wonder of the outdoors.
At Creative World, we all love a good book! It is never too early to start exploring books with children. We designate special time each and every day to look at pictures and read aloud to our babies.
We communicate closely with families to ensure consistency in each baby’s individual nap routine. We provide a daily record of when and how long your baby naps to keep you informed.
Ongoing Assessment
TRACKING EACH STEP IN YOUR BABY’S JOURNEY
Celebrating Early Milestones
Your child’s first year is filled with significant milestones, from first words to first steps. Our teachers carefully track each stage of their development and keep you updated through daily communication on our CW App, ensuring you stay connected to your baby’s growth.
Personalized Learning with Expert Guidance
We believe that great teachers have a deep understanding of child development, recognizing each infant’s unique strengths and needs. Through consistent observation during play and interaction, we monitor your baby’s progress in various developmental areas. Using a developmental checklist, we ensure growth in social-emotional, cognitive, and physical domains. Weekly, we incorporate our 3 E’s™ curriculum with individualized goals to create a tailored learning plan for each child.
Documenting and Sharing Your Baby’s Journey
Every infant has a digital learning portfolio that captures their unique story with teacher notes, photos, and reflections. Throughout the year, we hold portfolio reviews to share progress, set new goals, and discuss ways to further support your baby’s development. This collaborative approach celebrates each step in your child’s learning journey.
Infant Classroom Features
Our Infant program is designed to provide the best in health, safety, and education for our youngest students.
Small Group Size
Our infant classroom only accommodates eight! Limiting the size of our group fosters a strong bond between our caregivers and babies to give them the attention they deserve.
Soft Mats vs. Rugs
In a group setting, mats allow our caregivers to sanitize and clean as needed. Rugs, while great in a home setting, are more difficult to clean when children are sharing the same environment.
Active Interaction
Active play is important for developing infants. We encourage lots of tummy time! Interaction with caregivers is ongoing throughout the day. Outside time is also an important part of our everyday routine.
Safe Meal Times
Our low infant table for meals allows babies to sit together as they eat. High chairs (as well as infant swings) can be a hazard in a group setting as babies develop and begin to pull up and test their climbing skills.
Individual Cribs
Each baby that joins our infant classroom is assigned their own crib. Cribs are sanitized daily, and families help us by making beds each morning so each child starts their day with a clean, familiar bed.
Visitor Booties
For the health and sanitation of our special infant environment, visitors are required to remove shoes and wear disposable booties during their stay.
Infant Ready
Our classrooms are designed for babies to explore and make choices about their play. Our infants have access to low shelves with a wide variety of fun and educational toys within reach.
Enrolled families have access to the CW App for communication, reporting, photos, and more. The CW App is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.
