Program Components
Infant care programs must follow rules established by
state licensing laws
Child care professionals and parents or guardians should speak daily to
discuss the infant’s overall health
Quality infant programs address children’s changing :
developmental needs.
During the first year of life, and are major goals for physical development.
muscle growth and coordination.
The foundation for lifelong emotional well-being begins :
At birth
A typical group may have (how many infants?)
6-8 infants
The daily caregiver report form includes information such as:
any accidents and the treatment provided.
any signs of illness and any medicine given.
the infant’s overall mood and activity level.
Child care professionals have a responsibility to
nurture each child’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development.
Caregivers should plan an environment that allows :
the infants to develop these skills at their own rate.
Nurturing infants’ emotional development helps children :
grow into confident, well-balanced adults.
To promote bonding and attachment, each child is often assigned
one primary caregiver
The daily caregiver report form includes information such as:
the amount of liquid and solid food served and consumed.
the number of diapers changed and the consistency of bowel movements.
the length and quality of naps.
Intellectual development occurs as infants :
notice details about their environment and try to make sense of them.
Infants’ social development begins with :
their families and caregivers.
Managers of infant programs must work hard to limit
frequent staff turnover
A parent or guardian report form details
the infant’s activities and behavior before arrival at the center.
Infants’ first language skill is :
babbling, which they will later use to form words.
Early care professionals who care for infants with special needs should remember :
to keep intellectual, emotional, and social development in mind as they are focusing on a child’s specific physical needs.
Staff members will clean and sanitize toys and equipment
throughout the day and often wash their hands
Other ways early educators can effectively communicate with parents include
sharing parents information from articles, DVDs, or books.
Child care professionals should provide interesting objects to :
look at, touch, taste, smell, and listen to as well as grasp, push, pull, and kick.