Our infant and toddler programs are based on the Resources for Infant Educators (RIE) philosophy, where each young child is loved and respected as an individual. This approach fosters a trusting and close relationship between the child, teacher, and parents. Our infants and toddlers enjoy both indoor and outdoor classroom spaces where they can gain independence as they grow, learn, and explore God's world around them. 

 

RIE was founded by Magda Gerber in 1978; this philosophy is rooted in creating a healthy and supported relationship between child and caregiver. We demonstrate this by implementing primary caregiving in the classroom and placing tremendous value in these relationships. We believe that as few hands should touch a child as possible, and we believe deeply in the continuity of care that is provided with primary caregiving.

 

Another important component of the RIE philosophy is the focus we place on our environment. We respect each child as a whole and make time for mindful observations to learn more about the individual child so that we can be intentional about how we set up our environments. We understand that it needs to be predictable yet challenging and we believe in the importance of creating a space for children to move, grow, and develop in their own time.

 

Above all we know that RIE’s Educaring Principles are not rules that must be followed; our most important goal is to meet your child where they are and use this philosophy as a framework. We understand that implementing the RIE philosophy will look different for each child. Ultimately, we want each child to feel that “somebody is deeply and truly interested in me.”