Your baby has needs that deserve to be met so they can grow to be happy and healthy. O’Fallon Early Childhood Center provides a safe, nurturing environment where they can grow, learn and belong.
The “Explorer” Perspective
Exploring the environment and learning social and physical skills is essential to babies’ wellbeing. We encourage our infants to explore their environment, which is designed be stimulating, yet relaxing, with lots of natural light. At our childhood center, your baby will reach important milestones and learn to interact with their environment and others.
Explorer Milestones
The milestones your baby will reach as an Explorer:
- Making gestures, like pointing at objects or people
- Responding to sound and other stimuli
- Holding up their heads on their own and starting to push off the ground during tummy time
- Taking their first steps
- Eating solid food
- Finding hidden objects
- Identifying objects (animals, toys, etc.) by speaking
- Following simple directions
- Learning to self soothe
Nutrition & Health
The children get regular naps and quality formula or baby food to contribute to their growing bodies and minds. Your baby deserves good nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals like:
- Whole milk for toddlers
- Formula for babies (or breast milk when provided by you)
- Healthy baby food
With our “GOOD FOOD” Promise, you can rest assured that your infant is getting the nutrition they need in the form of whole, healthy foods.
Physical Development
Tummy time for infants and sensory activities are the keystone of their physical development. Developing strong little bodies and minds helps prepare them for their new world and will encourage them to explore.
Social Skills
Interacting with other children and caregivers will help your child become socialized and make friends. At OECC, our caregivers help your baby develop important social skills by interacting with them throughout the day by:
- Making eye contact
- Holding them
- Playing with them
- Talking with them
By interacting with caregivers and other children, your infant will learn to form bonds with others that can last a lifetime.
How OECC Fulfills Your Child’s Needs
The OECC Environment
A safe, consistent environment helps children learn confidence and to trust their caregivers, forging a bond with them. As such, they will be happier and have the emotional support they need. Our staff can help your child reach these important milestones by providing a calm, stimulating environment where their needs are met.
Safety & Constant Guidance
Our caregivers are dedicated to ensuring a consistent environment where children know what to expect and can feel safe and cared for. We regularly check diapers and are dedicated to guiding your child throughout this important stage of development in a gentle and supportive manner. We also follow Missouri’s safe sleep regulations.
Tummy Time
In addition to basic safety precautions (constant supervision, no small items babies can choke on, etc.), OECC maintains a safe environment according to the most respected and up-to-date research on child development. This includes giving infants plenty of tummy time on soft surfaces. Research shows that spending time in holders or swings can hurt a child’s development, so we never have holders or swings at our child care. By spending time on soft surfaces, they learn self soothing and how to use their bodies. Reaching, moving, and kicking are all essential to healthy physical development.
Activities
Caregivers will gently guide and encourage development of each child through:
- Reading to them
- Talking with them
- Singing songs
- Providing outdoor experiences
