Every baby, responded to individually.
Infants depend entirely upon adults for physical and emotional sustenance, so the quality of adult interactions with them is particularly important. Because their needs are more urgent and less predictable than older children’s, infants receive immediate attention from a caregiver. Through meaningful interactions, an infant develops her sense of a calm and ordered world — nurturing trust and emotional growth.
Our infant program
The centerpiece of our infant program is social contact: infants are held, talked to, looked at eye to eye, cooed at, touched, stroked and patted. Their actions are mimicked. They are exercised, washed and changed frequently, and their cues are read and acted upon without delay. All this human contact encourages babies to communicate and gives them the confidence to explore.
The nursery is clean, colorful and interesting, with toys and materials that attract attention and challenge ingenuity. Indoors and out, the playspace encourages mobility and discovery — with the adult as home base, sounding board, and helper when things seem too hard.
- Express preferences and develop a sense of cause and effect
- Group, compare and understand distance, space and perspective
- Imitate sounds and relate to others verbally
- Build a positive self-image through basic competencies
A typical day in the nursery
The schedule is flexible to accommodate each baby’s needs. Feeding, changing and napping are interspersed with holding, patting and talking throughout the day.
Drop-off & Daily Log
You complete the Infant Daily Log, and we set your baby’s diapering, feeding and napping schedule for the day.
Explore & play
Outdoors, reaching for bubbles, rolling balls or riding in a swing. Indoors, exploring textures, sounds, sights and smells.
Soothing naps
After lunch, soft music and a gentle back rub help each baby drift off feeling safe and secure.
Sensory time
Water and sand play, a gentle breeze, billowing clouds — plus music, cause-and-effect toys and stretching.
Share the day
We review feeding, sleeping and eating together; you take home the Daily Log for your Keepsake Binder.
Feeding
Cornerstone provides infant formula, milk, juice, water and strained or mashed baby foods already introduced at home — following your instructions, your pediatrician’s recommendations and our inventory. Staff hold infants during feeding until they can sit in a high chair; later they graduate to a small table with friends.
You’ll get a complete report of your baby’s daily intake at pick-up. Nursing mothers are welcome anytime — just let us know your schedule.
Medicinal formulas (e.g., Alimentum) are not provided by the Center, and we cannot extend credits for foods you provide.
What to bring
Pacifiers, nursing bottles, bottle liners, bibs, nipples and collar assemblies are personal-preference items you supply — please label everything. Cornerstone provides all crib linen.
Group organization
A Teacher leads our infant group of eight children, assisted by additional caregivers. Activities happen most often in groups of four with a single caregiver, always under the Teacher’s supervision.
Shoe-free zone
The nursery is “shoeless” so it stays clean enough for crawling and play. Thank you for removing your shoes before entering.
Withdrawal notice
We require at least thirty days’ written notice to withdraw (or drop a day) while your child is under fifteen months of age; otherwise the deposit (or a pro-rata part of it) is forfeited.
Come see Cornerstone in action.
We invite you to visit as often as you like. Book a tour and meet our educators, see the classrooms and explore our playgrounds.