In the Classroom: The Bumblebees

High Quality in Our Infant Room

The Parent Infant Center is widely known in the early childhood education community for the high quality of care we provide. Not everyone however may know all the steps that go in to ensuring high-quality care.

There is intentionality behind everything we do in the Bumblebees, such as how we change diapers, arrange our classrooms, talk to the children, and more.

The decisions we make at PIC are based on what is known as Developmentally Appropriate Practice. This guide, created by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is based on the latest research in child development. The study of how children learn is a continuous process and what we thought was appropriate twenty years ago, may no longer be supported by research.

As old theories on child development are re-examined and society changes, teachers must shift their thinking to new ideas. Organizations like NAEYC help make sure that educators have access to current research through publications, trainings and conferences. At PIC these ideas are discussed at staff meetings where we determine how new data applies to the children and families we care for.

One thing that is clear from the studies of how the youngest children develop, is how vitally important it is that we meet these high standards. As infants interact with the people in their lives, their brains are creating the connections that determine how they will interpret and relate to the world. The minds of our Bumblebees are being shaped by how we care for them and we will continue to follow the best practices to ensure a great start for every child in our care.