Infant Program
Creative Kids Club's Infant program offers the child a warm touch, a gentle hug, and can be considered an extension of the child's home. The program is designed to be flexible in order to correspond with your child's individual pattern and provide a detailed record of your child's activities. Unlike most early childhood education centers, Creative Kids Club provides diapers, wipes, cribs, linens, books and toys as part of the child's tuition.
By completion of the Infant program the children will learn the following skills…
1st through 3rd Months
- Raising their head and chest while lying on stomach
- Stretching legs and kicking while lying down
- Bringing their hands and toys to the mouth
- Recognizing familiar objects and people
- Following moving objects with their eyes
- Watching a person's facial expressions
- Smiling and babbling
Fourth through Sixth Months
- Reaching, grasping and shaking toys like rattles
- Reaching for dangling objects
- Working hard to reach objects that are out of reach
- Grasping those objects
- Finding partially hidden toys
- Responding to their own name and familiar words
- Babbling in response to another person's speech
- Sitting with some help or minimal support
- Rolling stomach to back
- Transferring toys one hand to the other hand
- Looking for noise made nearby
- Making sounds for specific reasons (hunger, tiredness, etc.)
- Helping to hold the bottle while drinking
- Playing with their toes and feet
- Patting their mirror image
- Watching toys put in front of them
Seventh through Twelfth Months
- Crawling on their hands and knees
- Pulling self up to a standing position
- Sitting without support
- Taking steps while holding on to objects for support
- Beginning to walk some step without support
- Using simple gestures like shaking head for 'no'
- Saying 'mama' and 'dada'
- Shaking, banging, throwing, and dropping objects
- Feeding themselves small pieces of table foods with fingers
- Beginning to drink from a 'sippy cup'
- Picking up small objects with thumb and index fingers
- Turning pages of a magazine or a book (more than one at a time)
- Playing 'Pat-a-Cake' or 'Peek-a-Boo'
- Understanding the meaning of 'bye-bye' and a wave
- Repeating sounds made by others
GALE A PAULUS
Founding Infant Room Manager October 22, 1993 to March 29, 2002
Gale Paulus, or "Mammy Gale" as the parents of Creative Kids Club knew her, was the very first team member of Creative Kids Club. When the doors opened on October 23, 1993 there was only one infant, but within six months all 16 cribs were filled and remained filleds every day up to her retirement on March 29, 2002.
Gale's love of children and her ability to make the parents feel comfortable was the reason they felt at ease leaving their most prized possesion with her. It was the cornerstone of her success and the success of the Intant Program at Creative Kids Club.
Creative Kids Club was her second family, but it was not to be out done by her first family! The Paulus Family were quick to lend a helping hand and promote Creative Kids Club in the community. From 1993 to 2002 her husband, Ken, was also big help around the center. From planting trees, assembling equipment, and keeping the cribs in top notch condition. But the most important roll he played at Creative Kids Club was Santa Claus during the holiday season. Gale and Ken had six children, 19 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren.
When Gale retired in 2002 we did not celebrate her retirement immediately. Gale was not the type of person that liked to be in the spotlight. That meant what ever we did needed to be a surprise! So between March and June 2002 we planned in total secrecy. The center was not big enough for the number of people who would be attending and we couldn't just announce it as her retirement party. Our 2002 Kindergarten graduating class was the largest in history, so we used Zoellner Center for the Arts on the campus of Lehigh University and asked Gale to come back and present the certificates to the children who have been at the center from birth until they graduated Kindergarten. Gale didn't know it was actually her retirement celebration.
With help from her husband, children, co-workers Janice Schuler (retired 2007), Linda Temmel (retired 2015) and Creative Kids Club families we managed to surprise her with all types of special gifts and an ice cream reception. The most special gift that was given to her was the announcement that the infant room was being named in her honor and from that date forward would be known as the "Mammy Gale Infant Room". Children who had attended the center over the years that Gale was employed all returned to congratulate her and wish her well on her retirement.
From 2002 to 2011 Gale enjoyed her retirement with her husband of over 50 years, Ken. They traveled to their dream vacation destination - Hawaii in 2002 and spent the rest of their retirement visiting more local destinations and spending time with family. In December 2011, the love of her life Ken passed away. His passing was bittersweet to not only his family, but to the Creative Kids Club family because it was that time of year that Ken enjoyed the most -- playing Santa to children of Creative Kids Club. Gale and Ken were soul mates and almost exactly two years later Gale passed away in her sleep.
So this is why the infant room is called the "Mammy Gale Infant Room". There will never be another one like her!
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