• In Idaho, all children under 24 months are considered “infants”.

  • Idaho state regulations allow a maximum teacher-to-student ratio of 1:6 for children under 24 months.

  • Most daycares have one infant room, mixing children 6 weeks to 23 months

Some Key Facts to Know about Infant Care Standards in Idaho

  • We divide children under 24 months into three separate classrooms based on their developmental stage, rather than just age: Newborns, Crawlers, and Wobblers.

    • This allows for environments and activities that are specifically tailored to each stage of development.

  • We aim to maintain an even lower maximum ratio of 1:5 for the majority of the day to ensure more personalized attention.

What We Do Differently

Newborns

Your baby’s first home away from home

In our Newborn room, our primary focus is creating a calm, nurturing environment where your baby feels safe and loved. We want you to feel complete confidence and comfort in the care your infant is receiving. To achieve this, we do several things, a couple of which are:

  • Introductory Meeting — we discuss everything from routines, preferences, etc. We take meticulous notes on your baby and share with you how we keep track of it in the newborn room. We provide a complete guide with the agenda of this intro meeting and a complete list of what to expect in the months to follow

  • We are committed to honoring your specific preferences for daily routines. All routines, like feeding, diapering, and naps, are tracked and communicated to you in real-time via our app, ensuring you always have up-to-the-minute updates.

With soft, sensory-rich materials and soothing spaces, we gently encourage early movement and exploration. Our goal is to build a foundation of security and confidence, while introducing early experiences that spark curiosity, communication, and healthy development during this vital first year of life.

Want more info on EXACTLY what your first year at Strive will be like? Click the button below!

Contact us to receive your copy of Our Infants' Room Parent Experience Guide

At Strive Academy, we understand that the transition to preschool can be a big adjustment for both parents and babies, so we aim to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible. This guidebook will cover everything from what to bring on your first day to how we communicate with parents on a daily and weekly basis.

Crawlers

Exploration begins

While your little one is gaining independence, they will continue to receive the same attentive, one-on-one care they enjoyed in the Newborn room. Our experienced teachers build on the trusting relationship established earlier, offering close supervision, encouragement for their milestones, and plenty of loving support as they learn to navigate their new space.

We remain committed to partnering with you on daily needs. We still meticulously track feeding, sleep, and diapering routines, providing real-time updates directly to you through our app.

Our goal in the Crawlers room is to build motor skills and critical thinking through play, instill a lifelong joy of learning and discovery, and support the growing confidence of both you and your child.

Wobblers

Developing Independence and Community

The Wobblers room is the launchpad for your child's toddler years. Designed for our advanced infants who are starting to walk, "wobble," or are already confidently moving on their own, this classroom is focused on building greater independence, refining motor skills, and introducing foundational social skills.

Skills for the Future: In this stimulating, bright environment, activities are carefully planned to prepare them for the two-year-old classroom. They will engage with an abundance of age-appropriate puzzles, imaginative play, sensory exploration, and early art activities. Our curriculum also places a strong emphasis on practical life skills and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Teachers actively guide children through crucial SEL skills like: sharing and taking turns during play, practice using child-sized silverware at lunch time, drinking from a regular cup, and gently transitioning away from bottles or pacifiers.

Nurturing Growth: Story time becomes a focused, interactive experience that supports early language development. While your child is becoming a confident explorer, they still receive the nurturing support and individualized attention that defines our infant program.

We continue to support your transition goals by tracking important diaper, meal, and sleep routines, providing real-time updates through our app. Our goal is to ensure a smooth, confident transition to the 2’s room while celebrating the amazing growth they achieve in their final "infant" year!