Early Childhood Infant Program (10-18 months old)

at Thornhill and York Mills Campuses.

“..we observe children, we see the vitality of their spirit, the maximum effort put forth in all they do, the intuition, attention and focus they bring to all life’s events, and the sheer joy they experience in living.” —The Child, Society and the World (Unpublished Speeches and Writing) Dr Montessori

Philosophy of the Infant Program

At CMS Early Childhood Infant program aims to start each child on their journey of lifelong learning in a safe and nurturing environment. The ratio of staff to children is 1:3 placing a great emphasis on each child and their needs. A daily healthy menu that includes a variety of baby food to healthy snacks and a hot meal ensure that the infant has a balanced nutritious set of meals per day. Every infant is also assigned their own crib in the sleeping room.

The aim of early childhood infant program is to:

  • Encourage language development and self-expression
  • Promote fine and gross motor skills
  • Facilitate thinking and cognitive skills
  • Create a calm atmosphere whereby infants are in a relaxed and comfortable environment
  • Enhance a child’s set of self-help skills

Dr Montessori spoke of the young child being absorbed with their natural surroundings. She put a heavy emphasis on children needing to be able to explore and discover their immediate environment, to be able to touch and manipulate objects and to learn about the world around them.

Our staff nurture and care for our infants in a safe and stimulating environment. Our priority is the development of each child preparing them to progress from the infant to the toddlers stage and beyond.

The curriculum main focus is on overall growth and development of each infant. It is about finding new ways to introduce everyday life skills to each and every child. The comprehensive daily schedule is flexible but allows for the highly individualised approach that meets the need for each child. Routines are followed with regards to daily feeding, changing the infants, sleeping and rest breaks. Once the basic needs are met, the educational program is introduced. Each child will follow their own path towards their development. Out teachers develop the daily plans to make sure that the infants are able to engage in the necessary activities to reach their crucial milestones.

A daily communication home is sent to update parents on the child’s progress throughout the day whereby the teacher is commenting about the food they have eaten, the length of their rests/ naps and their activity of the day.

The curriculum for the infant child focuses on:

  • Cognitive skills- these activities and educational materials encourage memory development
  • Music and movement – miniature musical instruments and toys are introduced, which produces sounds and melodies
  • Circle area and book corner – includes an infant library with board books, puppets, soft animals
  • Sensory Development – is encouraged in infants with the use of Montessori materials
  • Socio-Economical Development is about the reinforcement of happiness, security, daily routines as well as children’s interaction between themselves and their teachers
  • Motor Skills – helping children reach their appropriate milestones
  • Expressive Language Development is encouraged by using songs, words, gestures, stories etc

The Infant and Toddler programs at CMS are licensed under the Ministry of Education and fulfill all the requirements of the child care quality assurance licensing practices.