6 weeks - 20 months
The Infant Center
A gentle beginning. A strong foundation.
Nurtured from the start
The first years are full of big changes and little discoveries. Our teachers meet children where they are, creating a warm, predictable environment where they can build trust, develop new skills, and experience the joy of learning at their own pace.
✓ Consistent Care ➝ Children build secure relationships with familiar teachers who get to know their individual personalities, routines, and needs.
✓ Individual Rhythms ➝ From bottles and naps to play and exploration, we follow each child's cues while providing a predictable rhythm to their day.
✓ Everyday Discovery ➝ Simple moments - reaching, crawling, babbling, playing, and exploring—become opportunities to build new skills and confidence.
✓ Small Groups. More Individual Attention ➝ Our classrooms maintain ratios that exceed Ohio's licensing requirements, giving teachers more opportunities to know each child and respond to their individual needs.
| Classroom | Age Range | Teacher-to-Child Ratio | Maximum Group Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds | 6 weeks –12 months | 1:4 | 12 children |
| Sprouts | 12–20 months | 1:4 | 12 children |
Ratios may be adjusted as needed to ensure safety, quality care, and compliance with state licensing regulations.
Growing Curious, Confident Learners
For our youngest learners, every moment is an opportunity to explore, connect, and grow.
Meet the classrooms
Each stage brings new discoveries, growth, and milestones
Seeds
01.
6 weeks - 12 months
The Seeds classroom provides a nurturing, individualized environment during the earliest stage of growth. Children follow personalized schedules for feeding, resting, and care while learning through rich sensory experiences that engage touch, movement, sight, and sound. Our teachers provide attentive, responsive care that supports each child's remarkable growth and limitless potential.
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Social & Emotional Development
Infants begin expressing emotions and acting on impulses, building early awareness through consistent, responsive caregiving.
Approaches to Learning
Curiosity drives exploration as infants actively engage with their surroundings to understand the unfamiliar.
Language & Literacy
Early communication emerges through babbling, including vowel and consonant sounds, as infants respond to voices, songs, and stories.
Cognitive Development
Infants use their bodies to explore cause and effect, reaching, grasping, and moving to accomplish simple goals.
Early Math Awareness
Infants notice visual changes in quantity, beginning to recognize differences in the number of objects within their environment.
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Warm Arrivals & Responsive Care
Teachers welcome each child and provide attentive care, including diapering, feeding, and comfort throughout the day.
Sensory Play & Exploration
Floor play and guided experiences encourage movement, discovery, and engagement with tactile, visual, and auditory materials.
Rest & Feeding Routines
Naps and meals occur on individualized schedules, supporting healthy growth and emotional security.
Gross Motor & Group Experiences
As infants grow, they participate in gentle movement activities and small group interactions that build strength, coordination, and connection.
Calm Transitions Home
The day concludes with quiet play and nurturing routines as children prepare to head home.
Sprouts
02.
12 months - 20 months
The Sprouts classroom supports early walkers as they explore their world with growing curiosity and confidence. This stage is all about learning through exploration in a language-rich environment filled with songs, simple directions, books, and social moments. Child practice early communication, build relationships, and develop independence as they begin to show the first signs of emotional awareness and problem solving.
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Social & Emotional Development
Children begin managing emotions by comforting themselves in familiar ways and seeking reassurance from trusted adults.
Approaches to Learning
Sprouts develop a growth mindset through curiosity, exploring new materials and experiences to better understand their environment.
Language & Literacy
Communication becomes more purposeful as children use single words, gestures, and sounds to express needs and ideas.
Cognitive Development
Children experiment with simple problem-solving strategies, learning through cause-and-effect play and repetition.
Early Math Skills
Sprouts begin understanding basic quantity concepts, showing awareness of ideas like more, all, or none through words or actions.
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Morning Welcome & Exploration
Children arrive to a calm, welcoming environment with floor play, familiar toys, and nurturing routines to ease into the day.
Circle Time, Songs & Sensory Play
Group experiences include music, nursery rhymes, sensory activities, and simple interactions that encourage language development and engagement.
Individual Care & Rest
Diapering, meals, and naps are thoughtfully integrated throughout the day, honoring each child’s personal schedule and developmental stage.
Learning Activities & Story Time
Teachers guide short lessons, book exploration, and hands-on activities that support early communication and cognitive growth.
Outdoor Walks & Movement
Weather permitting, children enjoy stroller or wagon walks and movement opportunities that promote gross motor development.
Afternoon Play & Social Time
The day winds down with books, puppets, music, and independent or small-group play as children prepare to head home.
Their journey continues.
As children grow, their world grows with them. Discover the next chapter of the Hawthorn Grove journey at our Childcare Center.
