NIDO


The Nido (Italian for “nest”) program provides quality care for a maximum of 8 infants, ages 8 weeks to 18 months. Our Montessori Infant community provides a safe, nurturing environment designed to support your baby’s earliest stages of growth and development. With gentle guidance, we foster independence, movement, and exploration, respecting each child’s natural rhythm. From language-rich interactions to opportunities for purposeful movement, our program is thoughtfully prepared to encourage curiosity, trust, and connection. Families are partners in this journey, as we work together to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Benchmarks of our Infant Program

Benchmarks are a series of skills a student will acquire over the course of their time in a program. Every child advances according to their own developmental timeline, which is a concept at the heart of the Montessori approach. It is normal for children to learn in spurts and have periods of time where the acquisition of certain skills take precedence over others. We have established these benchmarks to communicate the work that is done in our classrooms. These skills represent concepts that have been introduced and mastery will vary by individual. Many of the skills listed here are introduced in our infant programs with the expectation that children will gain mastery over time.

 Care of Self

  • Participates in dressing and undressing: taking off shoes and socks, putting arms and legs in clothing, Velcro, zippers, putting on a hat, etc.

  • Introduction to toileting: stand-up diapering and introduction to a potty chair

  • Montessori floor beds

  • Hand washing

  • Drinking from an open glass

  • Using utensils

  • Pouring water from a pitcher

  • Opening and closing containers

Care of the Environment

  • Treasure baskets: exploring common household items - kitchen items, bath items, brushes, etc.

  • Wiping surfaces, cleaning up spills

  • Setting the table

  • Clearing the table

  • Replacing work on the shelves

  • Watering plants

  • Rolling a work mat

  • Putting away belongings

Psychosensory

  • Gross motor

    • Floor time

    • Playscape

    • Low furniture for pulling oneself up

    • Push wagons

    • Ride-on vehicles

    • Ball basket

  • Fine Motor

    • Mobiles to support motor development

    • Grasping work supporting palmar, raking, radial digital, pincer grasps

    • Imbucare boxes

  • Sensory

    • Texture exploration: fabric basket, ball basket, etc.

    • Sound shakers

    • Water blocks

    • Sensory tubes

    • Mobiles to support ocular development

Language

  • Sportscasting

  • ASL signs

  • Themed models (nomenclature objects): animals, plants, household objects, etc.

  • Simple requests

  • Singing and movement

  • Photo realistic books

  • Puzzles

Math

  • Counting as sportscasting (1-3)

  • Sequence recognition as part of daily routines

  • One-to-one correspondence

  • Pattern recognition