Walnut Creek Academy welcomes infants as early as 6 weeks old. While it may not seem like there’s a lot which can be done to introduce academics at this age, the key to educational development means recognizing that a solid foundation must be laid first. And while babies need the most love and encouragement, they also need mental and creative stimulation. We provide both in a fun and nurturing environment, with plenty of music and songs. We also introduce sign language at this age to help make communication clear, accurate and easily understandable. What can you expect from our Little Dreamers program?

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• A nurturing environment focused on love, trust and bonding

• Baby sign language to gain a headstart on early communication

• Daily activities to help support healthy and natural physical development

 

You’ll find some of the basic milestones we use to assess developmental readiness below. Please note that all children progress at their own pace. An infant lagging behind in any of these areas is not necessarily a cause for concern.

Motion

• Raises head and chest while laying on stomach (3 mos.)

• Pulls to sitting with no head lag (5 mos.)

• Transfers objects from hand to hand (6-7 mos.)

• Gets to sitting position without assistance (8-10 mos.)

• Crawls forward on belly (8-10 mos.)

• Gets from sitting to crawling or prone position (10-12 mos.)

• May walk two or three steps without support

Vision

• Watches face intently (2-3 mos.)

• Follows moving objects (2 mos.)

• Tracks moving objects with ease (4-7 mos.)

• Grasps objects dangling in front of them (5-6 mos.)

• Looks for fallen toys (5-7 mos.)

Language

• Distinguishes emotions by tone of voice (4-7 mos.)

• Responds to sound by making sounds (4-6 mos.)

• Syllable repetition begins (5-7 mos.)

• Responds to simple verbal requests (4-6 mos.)

• Makes simple gestures (8-10 mos.)

• Babbles “dada” and “mama” (8-10 mos.)

Cognition

• Finds partially hidden objects (6-7 mos.)

• Explores objects in many different ways (8-10 mos.)

• Finds hidden objects easily (10-12 mos.)

• Imitates gestures (9-12 mos.)

Hearing And Speech

• Smiles at the sound of voice (2-3 mos.)

• Cooing noises and vocal play (3 mos.)

• Responds to sound (1-3 mos.)

• Startles at loud noises (1-3 mos.)

Social And Emotional

• Begins to develop a social smile (1-3 mos.)

• Enjoys playing (may cry when playing stops) (2-3 mos.)

• Interested in mirror images (5-7 mos.)

• Shyness with strangers (8-12 mos.)

• Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys (8-12 mos.)