Infants

A warm, caring and supportive relationship is established between our caregivers and each infant to promote healthy physical and emotional development. Our caregivers are sensitive and responsive verbal and nonverbal communicators. Infants thrive when their caregivers:

Reflect their emotion;
Share the highs and lows of each day; and
Experience with them the excitement of new discoveries.

This special relationship helps each child develop a sense that the world is a safe and caring place.

Our teaching teams are professional. Teachers possess the skills to make and record observations and evaluate each child's movement through the developmental stages. They use this information to determine appropriate materials and activities to facilitate further growth and development. All staff is trained to follow and promote the established Mercy Cares For Kids health and safety policies, as well as infection control procedures.

At Mercy Cares For Kids, families and caregivers work together. This partnership builds a bridge between a child's two worlds: home and childcare. Through mutual respect and understanding, parents and caregivers can work together to provide the best possible program for each infant. Our caregivers set aside time at the beginning and end of each day, to communicate verbally with parents. Communication is also accomplished through written notes, telephone calls, casual conversation and scheduled meetings. A daily information sheet, as well as regular conferences to discuss the infant's development, facilitates the partnership between parents and caregivers.

Our staffing patterns allow us to offer our families on-demand scheduling for their infants. Upon enrollment, parents are asked to provide us with a developmental history. We use this information as a guide until the infant has established his/her own child care schedule. Infants in our program are allowed to eat, sleep and play according to their own rhythms.

Breastfeeding Friendly

Mercy Cares For Kids is a New York State Department of Health designated breastfeeding-friendly center. A quiet room is available for breastfeeding mothers to feed their baby. Our caregivers are trained to follow the mother's schedule for feeding to help maintain the supply of milk we are provided as well as to facilitate time to feed at the center. Our goal is to support each mother as she continues to breast feed once she returns to work