• The Atlas Project

  • The Echo Project

  • The Brightline Project

  • The Northgrid Project

Starfish

Walkers

12 months to 18 months

1:4 Teacher-to-Student Ratio

Maximum Class Size of 12

About the Starfish

The Starfish class focuses on supporting infants through engaging, play-based activities. Teachers challenge and encourage students to explore their environment while building important early developmental skills. During circle time, Starfish students practice sitting for longer periods while listening and interacting with their teachers and peers. Through play, they develop hand-eye coordination and explore a variety of sensory experiences.

Students are also encouraged to begin socializing with other babies and learning how to play alongside their classmates. In addition, the Starfish class helps foster early independence as students practice feeding themselves and helping with simple clean-up routines.

Curriculum & Daily Activities

Our infant curriculum includes story time, music and movement, and sensory experiences designed to support early development and exploration.

We artfully guide them through the perils of stranger and separation anxiety. The teachers help increase their communication skills by teaching them sign language.

Starfish teachers prepare lesson plans each week. They have a mini circle time and do an art or sensory project daily. Some concepts they are introduced to are shapes, colors, and animal names. They play outside every morning and afternoon.

All of these activities ease their transition into the toddler center. Sometimes, they have play dates with the toddlers and visit their classrooms to help with this.

Environment

At our school, the walkers are separated from the other babies for hte majority of their day so they can learn and explore without the younger infants’ underfoot.

Developmental Milestones

By 12 months, babies will:

  • Move away from you but looks to make sure you are close by

  • Points to show you something interesting

  • Puts hands out for you to wash them

  • Looks at a few pages in a book with you

  • Helps you dress them by pushing their arms through sleeves or lifting up their feet to put on pants

  • Tries to say three or more words besides “mama” or “dada”

  • Follow one-step directions without any gestures like giving you the toy when you say “give it to me.”

  • Copies you doing chores like sweeping with a broom

  • Plays with toys in a simple way, like pushing a toy car

  • walks without holding on to anyone or anything

  • Scribbles

  • Drinks from a cup without a lid and may spill sometimes

  • Feeds themselves with their fingers

  • Tries to use a spoon

  • Climbs on and off a couch or chair without help

Why Scripps Exploring Academy?

At Scripps Exploring Academy, our walkers have a separate classroom. Being apart from the newborns and crawlers allow for them to freely explore their learning environment. This is the first class where the children have a group schedule and they are being introduced to more formal learning as we introduce simple concepts and expand their vocabulary.