Forest of the Plains

Last week brought Parents Night at Jacob's daycare. Oh, yes! There is indeed Parents Night for infants in daycare! In the spring there are also Parent Teacher Conferences (they do a developmental screening & discuss it then).

The evening consisted of meeting the teachers, proudly glowing over finger paintings, touring the playground, receiving a handout on the weekly themes from now until July 2008, and reviewing the center's three-page policy on biting. We were asked to not panic if our child is bitten by another child.

My favorite weekly themes, remembering that this room is for 10-18 month olds:
Mardi Gras (do they serve virgin daiquiris?)
Teeth (especially funny in light of the lengthy biting policy)
Fun With Tissue Paper
Hawaiian Luau
Clothes Pins
University Week (getting an early start on the college visits?)

Although I'm laughing here, I am glad that Jacob is in a daycare with teachers educated in Early Childhood Development and that some thought has been put into the activities that fill his days there. I believe that babies need to engage in a lot of self-directed play, but it's also good to nudge them in new directions.