First Years Infants and Toddler Learning Centre

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Aged: 0-2 Year old (up till age 3)

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At First Years we believe and understand that during the early months of life, the infant is totally dependent on others and is learning to anticipate events and to communicate her or his needs in a confusing world and toddlers vary and swing back and forth more than in the case for other age groups.

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In order to thrive and learn, an infant must establish an intimate, responsive, and trusting relationship with at a kaiako. Infants are able to develop close attachments with several people but not with many people which is why we value a “key teacher” approach to care and education. For a toddler they are developing and evolving a sense of self and to achieve independence from adults.

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We value supporting tamariki to develop a sense of their own identity and the strong sense of self-worth necessary for them to become confident in relationships and as learners therefore our environment is set up to support infants to experience physical and emotional security with at least one other person within each setting.

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Our programme for infants will provide:

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• One-to-one responsive interactions (those in which caregivers follow the child’s lead);

• Adults who is consistently responsible for, and available to, each infant;

• Higher staffing ratios than for older children;

• Sociable, loving, and physically responsive adults who can tune in to an infant’s needs;

• Individualised programmes that can adjust to the infant’s own rhythms;

• Predictable and calm environment that builds trust and anticipation;

• Partnership between parents and the other adults involved in caring for the infant.

 

Our programme of toddler will provide:

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• A secure environment and a programme that provide both challenges and predictable happenings;

• Opportunities for independent exploration and movement;

• A flexible approach which can accommodate their spontaneity and whims at a pace that allows them to try to do things for themselves;

• Adults who encourage the toddlers’ cognitive skills and language development;

• Responsive and predictable adults who both understand and accept the toddler’s developmental swings.