Baby University was started in response to requests from many of CCLLC’s preschool families who had babies on the way or toddler-aged siblings to offer a proactive environment to monitor developmental milestones. Many of the families had a child with a language delay already, or a strong family history of learning disabilities and wanted to keep a watchful eye on their newest members. We were asked the questions of, “How could I have known earlier than age 2 or 3 that my child would experience a language delay?” or “I knew my child’s language was not where it should be at 18 months, but what could I have done at such an early age?” The intention was to create a loving, playful, language rich environment for infants and toddlers aged 9 – 30 months in which their language development, early motor skills, self-regulation of attention and social skills could be tracked and nurtured. At the same time, the directors of Central Coast Language and Learning Center were having babies themselves, and the first group was formed, under the watchful eyes of a speech therapist and learning specialist. The class is made up of a wonderful mix of typically developing and language delayed children, and offers another community resource for families of infants and toddlers looking for an alternative to day care. CCLLC maintains a high adult to child ratio to ensure each child gets the attention they deserve. Most children understand far more than they are able to express. When language begins to emerge, it is important to keep track of the child’s first words. A language sample is taken monthly for each child in Baby University and analyzed for the mean length of utterance (MLU analyzed with Brown’s developmental stages) – how many words the child is saying as well as morphological markers – what the child is saying. This allows the staff to keep close track of progress and to encourage increased language acquisition. Communication is always at the heart of intervention – so you won’t find any “drill and kill” at CCLLC; rather, you’d be more likely to observe a teacher quite naturally modeling language expansion while engaging the child in play.

Soren: “Car”
Kristen: “Blue car”
Soren: “Blue car”
Music has always played a significant role in Baby University’s language rich curriculum. Weekly Music Together © classes, as well as staff training in Willinda’s speech and language-based music curriculum threads through the days of the week, activating, calming, and exposing the children to sounds, rhythms and the foundations of language.

Staff is trained in a Transdisciplinary Play Based Assessment (TPBA) model. A play-based assessment relies on observation in an informal play setting. This is combined with more formal measures including The Rosetti Infant – Toddler Language Scale, the Beery Visual Motor Integration Scales, and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklists. When emergent motor skills are attended to, strength, balance, coordination, and sensory integration can be facilitated. Baby University monitors and encourages developing muscle tone, strength, and endurance through weekly Tumbling Tutor© classes and consultation with an occupational therapist. Fine motor skills, dexterity and manipulation skills are practiced in developmentally appropriate play, with the Handwriting Without Tears© curriculum as a guide. Additionally, we support a positive experience with potty training, separation, and the introduction of new foods by noticing a child’s reactivity to sensory input and supporting their increased comfort with new sensory stimulus. Circle time and structured, theme based activities allow staff to observe and support the development of cognitive and social skills that increase a child’s preschool readiness. Peer interactions are mediated in a nurturing and safe environment to encourage the development of emotional regulation, social conventions, symbolic and representational play, attention span, problem-solving, discrimination and differentiation, one-to-one correspondence, and sequencing ability. Baby University runs Monday through Friday from 9-12. Organic Snacks are provided. http://www.scerts.com/
http://www.musictogether.com/
http://www.junebugsgym.com/