What is PT-Informed Childcare?
Physical therapy-informed childcare is a unique approach that blends nurturing, play-based care with the knowledge and perspective of a Doctor of Physical Therapy. It means the environment, daily routines, and activities are intentionally designed to support healthy motor development and help children build the skills they need to move confidently through their world. At Tiny Steps Daycare LLC, every child benefits from purposeful movement opportunities, individualized support, and a caregiver who understands how little bodies grow, strengthen, and explore.
Why Motor Development Matters
Movement is the foundation of early learning, and children first understand their world through rolling, reaching, crawling, climbing, balancing, and exploring. These early motor experiences support not only coordination and confidence but also attention, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and healthy brain development. Strong motor foundations help prepare children for future milestones like handwriting, self-care, active play, and academic readiness. At Tiny Steps Daycare LLC, we create a safe, joyful environment where movement is encouraged naturally, and with a PT-informed approach, we gently guide each child at their own pace while celebrating every little victory along the way.
Tracking Growth & Development
At Tiny Steps Daycare, each child’s development is thoughtfully supported and observed through daily play, movement, and routines.
Using a secure parent app, families receive periodic updates that highlight growth in areas such as motor skills, coordination, independence, social-emotional development, and early learning.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I bring a trained eye to movement and development, allowing me to notice patterns in a child’s progress and support their growth in a natural, play-based way.
If any concerns arise, I partner with families by sharing observations and helpful resources in a gentle, supportive, and collaborative way.
Our Curriculum
Core elements of our curriculum include:
Motor Development: Daily activities supporting balance, coordination, strength, crawling, climbing, grasping, and early self-care skills.
Sensory Exploration: Hands-on experiences with textures, colors, sounds, and materials that support healthy sensory processing. Our program includes gardening with the children to encourage connection to nature, responsibility, and hands-on learning.
Fine Motor Play: Activities such as stacking, grasping, building, drawing, and manipulating small objects.
Language & Early Literacy: Story time, songs, conversations, and vocabulary-rich interactions
Social & Emotional Learning: Sharing, turn-taking, cooperative play, and building confidence in small group settings.
Creative Expression: Art, music, imaginative play, and child-led exploration.
Outdoor Play: Daily fresh air, nature-based activities, and gross motor opportunities.
We use a flexible, child-led approach that honors each child’s interests and developmental stage while gently introducing age-appropriate skills. Infants receive ample time for safe floor play, tummy time, and exploration, while toddlers and preschoolers enjoy obstacle courses, creative play, social interaction, early literacy activities, and outdoor movement. Our curriculum is thoughtfully planned but flexible, allowing children to learn in ways that feel meaningful, joyful, and developmentally supportive.