Infant Room

Serving eight children between the ages of two and 12 months, the teachers individualize each child's feeding, sleeping and diapering schedule.

Children are cared for by a lead teacher, assistant teacher and our student teaching assistants.

Ms. Hailey, lead teacher

Born and raised in the northern suburbs of Illinois, I moved with my husband to his hometown of Timpson in April 2025 to start this new chapter in our lives. I graduated from the University of Missouri with my bachelor's degree in general studies with an emphasis in social work, health sciences, and child and family development. My favorite pastime is being outside with my dogs, Blu and Bodie, and spending time with my family.

My passion for working with children began when I was an assistant teacher in my mother's montessori school in high school. Throughout college, I worked at several different daycares. Prior to moving to Texas, I helped children of all age groups within the State of Missouri Children's Division foster care system. I truly enjoy working with children in the developmental stages of life and strive each day to help them appropriately learn and grow in a safe and trusting environment.

Ms. Null, assistant teacher

For the past seven years, I have worked in childcare and early education. I have spent time as both an assistant teacher and a lead teacher in infant and toddler classes at two different childcare centers and spent a few months working as an assistant director at a small preschool. Working in childcare has been a true blessing for many reasons, one of them being that it helped me discover my passion for working with children and families. This discovery led me to the decision to complete my bachelor’s degree in family studies and human development at SFA, where I am on track to graduate in spring of 2027. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than taking care of infants and watching them learn and grow. I am so happy to be part of the Early Childhood Laboratory family!

I am the eldest of five children and part of an army family. Though we moved a lot when I was growing up, if anyone asks, I always say that I am from Katy, Texas, as it is where I lived the longest. I moved to Nacogdoches from Houston in the summer of 2026 to pursue my education. I love reading, singing, and taking walks in the beautiful nature of Nacogdoches.

Activities and development

Early Childhood Laboratory classrooms follow the Constructivist Theory approach. Our teachers develop outdoor lesson plans to correlate with weekly lesson plans that reinforce indoor learning and structure playtime to optimize learning. Using curriculum and assessments for guidance, design of the learning centers is based on the learning needs of each individual child.

Infants learn through sensory, exploration, cause and effect, and group activities such as stories and music.

Daily schedule

The infant room's daily schedule is very flexible.

Time	Activity
7:10 to 8 a.m.	Arrival, greeting
8 to 8:15 a.m.	Floor play
8:15 to 9 a.m.	Snacks, brush teeth, bottles
9 to 9:30 a.m.	Diapering
9:30 to 9:45 a.m.	Group time, music, floor play
9:45 to 10 a.m.	Prepare for morning naps
10:45 to 11 a.m.	Waking and preparation for lunch
11 a.m. to Noon	Lunch and individual time
12:30 to 1 p.m.	Diapering
1 to 2 p.m.	Afternoon naps
2 to 2:20 p.m.	Waking, snacks, bottles
2:25 to 3 p.m.	Outside play
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.	Floor play, music
4:30 to 5:20 p.m.	Diapering, walks, prepare for home

Stocking their cubby

Here's a quick checklist of items to keep in your child's classroom cubby:

Diapers
Formula/Milk/Breastmilk
Food (infants transitioning to food do not participate in the ECHL food services program.)
Lovey (small comfort item)
Two to three sets of season-appropriate clothing

We provide diaper wipes, burp cloths, bibs, naptime items (cot, pillow and blanket), toothbrush and water bottle (for infants 6+ months).

Toys must stay at home.