school life

Infant Program – Levels I and II
The Suzuki School Infant Program is designed for infants, typically three months until they are near or past their second birthday. The Infant Program provides a warm and nurturing environment, one which provides opportunities for discovery and growth for our youngest students. In this exceptional time of tremendous growth, a very young child responds with energy and enthusiasm, requiring mastery in the areas of large and fine motor ability, emergent language, perception of cause and effect, sensory experiences and listening ability.

Safe, Secure, Nurturing Rooms: Our Level I and II infant rooms are designed, above all else, to be safe and secure. Colorful objects, mobiles, sensory-tactile materials and infant-sized furniture provide an ideal environment for the young child. We recognize the importance of large motor play, especially when outdoors, and allow the teachers to use the outdoor space at various times throughout the day, as well as during their regularly scheduled outdoor play period, as the children and the weather dictate.

Learning Starts at Birth: Consistent advances in brain research have emphasized the importance of a stimulating learning environment beginning at infancy. In providing this, we enhance learning at a time in a child’s life when her brain is developing at a phenomenal rate. Words become sentences, simple tasks become more complex and cognitive ability soars as the Level II children persist in the important work of mastering their environment. The Suzuki School curricula are designed to expose infants to a variety of opportunities for physical, language and cognitive growth.

Physical Growth: Early infancy is a time of tremendous change and progress in a child’s physical growth and ability. We engage your baby in physical activities to strengthen eye-hand co-ordination, condition sensory-tactile responses and develop large and fine motor skills. In Level I we include even the youngest infants in simple learning tasks: kicking exercises, baby massage, crawling games, rolling balls, cruising along rails or shelf-tops and in the practice of grasping and holding.

Emergent Language Skills: Infants begin to replicate sounds almost from birth. The learning curve at this time begins with cries, progresses to babbling and cooing, and develops into an ability to replicate word-like syllables with accurate tonal expressions. The young child must be surrounded with adequate language experiences such as stories, songs, word games and conversations so that he can learn to mimic. Our teachers nurture emergent language skills through books, felt board activities and, most importantly, by introducing and using American Sign Language.

Cognitive Growth: Infants develop visual and auditory discrimination through thoughtful interactions with the teachers and with each other, using the materials described below. Following simple directions helps the child develop comprehension skills, and success in achieving the desired outcome leads to mastery. Mastery, in turn, inspires confidence and a feeling of self-worth, which is our first goal. Starting in Level II, children are grouped according to readiness, interest and the group dynamic, and a formal lesson plan provides the structure for the weekly activities.

Curriculum and Materials: Children reach many important milestones during their first two years. Our curriculum and the materials we use offer the child experiences and opportunities to reach these milestones and master the skills necessary for continued physical, socio-emotional and cognitive growth. The materials are wide and varied and include stacking blocks, interlocking rings, hand instruments, object permanence boxes, imbucare boxes, dressing frames and sand/water tables for pouring.

Enrichment: Our music teacher, arrayed with a variety of instruments and props, visits the infant classrooms several times a week to introduce these young children to the beauty and wonder of music. The infants respond with excited gestures and with increasing confidence as they learn to sing and dance.

Our Teaching Team: Our Infant Program is designed to ensure that the bond between teacher and child forms naturally into a close relationship built on trust and love. Teachers feed, rock, hold and play with infants on demand so that the babies receive the attention and stimulation they need. Our low teacher-child ratio in these rooms allows for this kind of individualized care. A Master Teacher, experienced in early childhood development, leads a team of trained teachers who are knowledgeable in all areas of infant care.

Communication: At The Suzuki School, we recognize you, the parent, are your child’s first and best teacher. To foster our partnership, we communicate with parents daily so that you know about your infant's progress and of his or her day. We encourage parents to visit often, if possible, to feed or otherwise spend a little time with your baby. The infant teachers send home an evaluation each afternoon describing what took place during the course of that day. Sometimes they may call to share some information with you. Of course, you are encouraged to call whenever you feel the need. Communication is an integral part of the Suzuki program and ties the efforts of school and home together.