Our Childcare Program
Program Overview
Our program focus is designed to instill self-awareness, empathy, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, environmental awareness, and cultural sensitivity in children through play and interactive activities. This is a very impressionable age window and it’s important for us to hold a supportive, accepting, and positive environment for them to learn and grow. Our activities are simple, hands-on, and promote cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.
The curriculum will evolve based on the age group of the children and specific needs of our community. It's essential to keep it flexible and adaptable to the interests and capabilities of the kids while keeping the main learning objectives intact.
Child Safety:
While the state allows for a 1:8 ratio of caregivers, Loving Hearts holds a 1:4 minimum ratio and ensures one person is available to care for the 0-2yr old children and another for the 2-6yr olds. We check on all children under 2 every 15 minutes during their naps and have a designated nursery sleep area with blackout noise reducing curtains and a sound machine for their comfort.
The state only requires the main licensee to be First Aid/CPR certified while we require all caregivers to have this training. We have fire extinguishers, alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire blankets, nanny cams, emergency evacuation and communication plans, and anti-choking devices all on our premises.
Infant Care Program
Our infant care program is entirely focused around nurturing our precious babies. These tiny and fragile beings are our top priority and we have created half of the indoor space entirely for them. Low and natural lighting, soft color tones, fresh purified air, all natural cleaning products, non-lyrical music and nature sounds set the ambiance of safety and serenity.
Our care program focus is primarily on sensory development, motor skills, and building a secure emotional connection. We aim to foster their curiosity and developmental growth with an assortment of infant appropriate activities and toys. Babies are just starting to discover their world, so the activities are designed to stimulate their senses and promote healthy attachment. With this focus and paired with the most important thing: lots of love - they are nurtured and appropriately stimulated while in our care.
Daily we incorporate the below practices into our play sessions:
Self-awareness and Self-regulation
- Tummy Time: Encouraging them to lift their head and strengthen their neck muscles, promoting self-discovery and motor development.
- Mirrors: Letting them look at their reflection to promote self-recognition and exploration.
- Soothing Techniques: Gentle rocking, singing lullabies, or playing calming music to help them relax.
Empathy and Connection
- Cuddles and Affection: Building a strong emotional bond by responding to their needs promptly and with affection.
- Peekaboo Games: These help with attachment, understanding of object permanence, and can provoke smiles and laughter.
- Responding to Baby's Emotions: Reacting positively to their different sounds and expressions, mirroring and labeling their feelings.
Sensory and Motor Development
- Textures: Providing soft toys or fabrics with different textures to stimulate their sense of touch.
- Sounds: Using musical toys, soft rattles, or soothing music to stimulate their hearing.
- Visual Stimulation: Using brightly colored toys or black and white contrast cards to promote visual tracking and focus.
Environmental Awareness
- Outdoor Time: Carrying them outside to experience the natural environment, exposing them to different sounds, sights, and smells.
- Exploring Safe Natural Objects: Letting them feel objects like a smooth stone or soft flower petals.
- Exposure to Different Environments: Allowing them to experience different safe environments like the garden, the playroom, etc.
Cultural Sensitivity
- Music from Different Cultures: Playing soothing music from various cultures, exposing them to different sounds and rhythms.
- Stories from Around the World: Hearing different stories in your voice promotes bonding and exposes them to different cultural styles and traditions.
Care Program Ages 2-6
Our program focuses on creating an environment of Love, Joy & Unity. Access to these states stem from within our individual balance. Focusing on maintaining the children’s internal balance, we incorporate activities that stimulate the senses, feed their creativity and imagination, while maintaining awareness of the body, senses, and surrounding environments.
Daily we incorporate the below practices into our play sessions:
Empathy and Respect
- Storytelling Sessions: Stories with themes of empathy and understanding can promote these traits in children. Age-appropriate books with simple stories about sharing, caring, and kindness.
- Role-Playing Games: Help kids understand how others feel in certain situations. Letting them play roles like a doctor, teacher, or firefighter to understand different perspectives.
- Cooperative Play: Encourage sharing and taking turns with age-appropriate games.
Mindfulness and Creativity
- Arts and Crafts: Encourage expression and creativity while promoting mindfulness. Play with materials for free exploration, like finger painting or collages.
- Outdoor Explorations: Help the children appreciate their environment and be present in the moment. Observation and curiosity is encouraged with guided walks around the playground.
- Guided Meditation: Short, guided sessions to help develop focus and relaxation.
- Simple Relaxation Techniques: Simple breathing exercises and quiet times with calming music.
Self-awareness and Self-regulation
- Emotion Recognition Games: Activities that help children identify and understand their own feelings and those of others.
- Mindful Breathing Exercises: These help children learn to calm themselves down and develop focus.
- Yoga for Kids: Yoga can help improve flexibility, strength, and coordination while promoting a sense of calm. Movement and physical awareness is encouraged with basic, safe yoga poses.
- Sensory Play: Activities like water play, playing with sand or playdough, which promote exploration and sensory and motor skill development.
Environmental Awareness
- Simple Recycling Projects: Teaching about the importance of recycling and repurposing. Creating art projects from recycled materials.
- Gardening Activities: Help children understand the value of nature and how to care for plants.
- Nature Sensory Bins: Using elements from nature like leaves, twigs, or flowers for sensory play.
- Plant a Seed: Teach them how to care for plants by letting them plant and water seeds, and watch them grow.
Cultural Sensitivity
- Celebrate Cultural Events: Teaching about and celebrating various cultural festivals promotes understanding and appreciation of diversity.
- Cultural Storytime: Share simple stories from different cultures.
- World Cuisine Days: Trying different foods from around the world.
- Music and Dances from Different Cultures: Encourage awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity. Play different types of music and encourage free movement and dance.
Loving Hearts Scheduling
With our flexible booking you can choose to book single sessions, a monthly schedule, or full semester packages with 1-5 days per week. Our semesters run for 13 weeks each. Click the button below to learn more about our schedule and pricing, or contact us to book a visit!