Childcare in our infant, wobbler and toddlers rooms are offered for children aged six weeks up to three years. Care is offered on a pre-scheduled basis only. There is no drop-in care. The maximum capacity for children in our program is 24. We divide these children into 3 groups according to age, as well as their social and physical development.
Infant, Wobbler, and Toddler Rooms Two teacher in the Infant Room care for six babies each day. These are the youngest children in our center. The teachers are here to support the natural rhythms of each child, while the environment is arranged to allow each of them to develop at his own pace without physical constraints or hindrances. These children move to the wobbler room at 12 months, or earlier if they have mastered mobility.
The Wobbler Room is busy with eight children ready to explore and take on the world! The teachers in this room work with the children on language (both spoken and signed) and foster social development in a space that is designed for physical gross motor development. Wobblers range in age from 10 to 24 months and move from this room when they are well-coordinated and begin verbal communication with their peers and teachers. The Toddler Room keeps the oldest children busy with art time, sensory play, building, dramatic play, and reading. Toddler room choices include but are not limited to: building materials, manipulatives, sensory play, science, music, and gross motor activities. Independent life skills and language development are encouraged and supported in this room. We do our best to get outside each day, rain or shine, and can do so in our outdoor play area.
Our Philosophy The philosophies and teaching styles of RIE, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori have helped form our Posies philosophy base and culture. We foster and support each child’s individuality and focus on the development of the whole child. The space is designed as a low tech environment to provide learning opportunities through language development, art experimentation, physical exploration, scientific inquiry and creative thinking. Our hope is that Posies kids will grow into conscious and socially aware citizens of their communities!
Eating at school In our infant year, we want to create a plan with you to follow and support your little one's natural rhythms. Rather than imposing a structure onto our infants, this classroom's structure moves at the pace of the little ones in our group. An individual routine will be tailored to meet their needs, which includes intended times for eating, drinking milk, and sleeping. Though we may not have the windows of time to do all of our curriculum based activities each day, opportunities for infants to participate in art and sensory experiences, reading, music and outdoor times happen when the group's basic daily needs have all been met.
In the creation of your infant's plan, we must also follow all state standards for care. Children must be offered food at least every 3.5 hours, and infants up to six months will always be held during a bottle feeding.
Food and milk are provided from home. Though Posies has all of the necessary bibs and dishes for snack times at school, we ask that parents provide enough clean, sterilized bottles and nipples for each feeding. Plan for what your child typically eats at home, plus an additional bottle, in case there is a need for an extra feeding.
Starting at age one, as we move into the wobbler class, we begin practicing a classroom routine where children will eat, sleep, and play at the same time as the other children in their group. At this time, parents provide a lunch from home. This should include enough food for midday lunch, as well as a morning and afternoon snack for children. We ask that parents refrain from bringing sweet, or overly salted foods that have little nutritional value. Information about nutritional guidelines as specified by the Oregon Early Learning Division is shared during the enrollment process as we begin our plan for beginning care.
Diapering and Potty Training Parents also provide diapers, wipes, and ointment for their child. Parents choosing to use cloth diapers should bring an adequate daily supply and a plastic bin for storage, so diapers can be returned at the end of the day for washing.
When your child is showing signs of readiness for potty training, we will work with you to provide the most consistent guidance, language and responses to foster that development while they are with us at school. Use of the potty is always offered in our toddler room during diaper change times.
While we will always support a child's development and provide opportunities for success, we cannot *force* a child to use the toilet.
Illness Exclusion Policy and Accidents at school For the safety of your child and other children in the center, the provider cannot admit, or retain in care, a child who has any of the following symptoms of illness:
persistent diarrhea
vomiting
fever over 100.4°
severe or persistent cough
yellow color to skin or eyes
skin, eye lesions or rashes that are severe, weeping or pus-filled (pink eye)
stiff neck and/or headache with one or more of the symptoms listed above
wheezing or difficulty breathing
complaints of severe pain
constant runny nose that is green or yellow in color
Scratches and scrapes are often a factor when learning to move and play. They are treated with antiseptic and a band-aid and logged on your daily report. For anything more serious, the parents will be notified at once.
Licencing Our Center has been licensed through the Oregon Child Care Division to provide care for infants, toddler and preschoolers. We ensure the highest safety standards and comply with all the rules as defined in the Rules for the Certification of Child Care Centers manual. These must be maintained at all times for the program to retain it's license for operation.
Immunization Rates Posies is a pro-vaccination center. You can look up child care and preschool vaccination rates here through Oregon's Immunization Data Map.
Preschool Community
Posies Preschool Our preschool program is enrolled for pre-scheduled care, and is home to two groups of children from 3-5 years. Our Posies "Sprouts", between 3-4 years, and our Posies "Blossoms" between 4-5. Each group has a maximum capacity of 10 children per day. Traditionally an average of half of our blossom-aged friends are also pre-kindergarten age. As we adapt our program to provide the best child appropriate care for all of our children, we also adjust to foster support and preparation for children in anticipation of their upcoming kindergarten year.
During the 2020/2021 school year, we are accepting placement for kindergarten aged children. Though we do not provide a kindergarten program, we are happy to provide a safe and stable environment for your child to learn and grow. Please inquire to learn more about how we are adapting to support our kindergarten aged group!
Posies Preschool is a child-directed/emergent learning environment with an anti-bias curriculum approach. Teachers help foster development through engagement and support of social and emotional skills as we learn about the world around us and how to navigate it. Posies core guidance for children is in helping them to make choices that are both "SAFE and KIND". At the core of all of these are our applications of our RIE, Montessori, and Reggio Emelia philosophy base in our low tech environment.
At Posies, our curriculum and activities are based in five key learning goals, derived from our philosophy base. Each lesson or daily routine applies to one or, sometimes, all of the core learning goals. The core learning goals are:
Language Development
Problem Solving
Creative Thinking
Leadership/Social Skills
Independent Life Skills
Food Parents provide lunch and morning and afternoon snacks for their child. We ask that parents refrain from bringing sweet or overly salty foods that have little nutritional value. Information about nutritional guidelines as specified by the Oregon Early Learning Division is shared during the enrollment process as we begin our plan for beginning care.
Illness Exclusion Policy and Accidents at school For the safety of your child and other children in the center, the provider cannot admit, or retain in care, a child who has any of the following symptoms of illness:
persistent diarrhea
vomiting
fever over 100.4°
severe or persistent cough
yellow color to skin or eyes
skin, eye lesions or rashes that are severe, weeping or pus-filled (pink eye)
stiff neck and/or headache with one or more of the symptoms listed above
wheezing or difficulty breathing
complaints of severe pain
constant runny nose that is green or yellow in color
Scratches and scrapes are often a factor when mastering social and spacial awareness. They are treated with antiseptic and a band-aid and logged on your daily report. For anything more serious, the parents will be notified at once.
Toilet Readiness It is not a requirement that children be toilet-ready upon beginning preschool at Posies. The toilet is offered at every “potty break” (no more than two hours apart), but available at any time during the day. We cannot force children to use the toilet.