What is Experience Baby?
Experience Baby is a research-based infant curriculum designed for children birth through 18 months. Each month, a complete curriculum kit arrives at your program — including lesson plans, sensory materials, caregiver guides, and family engagement tools — everything you need to support rich, intentional learning for your youngest learners.
Unlike curriculum binders or printed guides, Experience Baby ships physical materials organized around a developmentally appropriate monthly theme. Activities are designed to fit naturally into the caregiving routines that define infant care: feeding, diapering, napping, and free exploration. There are no elaborate setups or long prep times.
Experience Baby recognizes that infant curriculum isn’t about “lesson time” — it’s about embedding intentional learning into every diaper change, feeding, and moment of eye contact. Activities are designed for 2–5 minute windows, with caregiver language prompts that make every routine a learning opportunity.
What’s in each kit
- 4 weeks of daily lesson plans
- Sensory materials (infant-safe)
- Music and movement activity guide
- Caregiver language prompts card
- Family engagement take-home materials
- Observation documentation prompts
- Brightwheel digital activity companion
Developmental focus
- Secure attachment and trust
- Sensory exploration and curiosity
- Early language: babbling, cooing, word association
- Gross motor: rolling, sitting, reaching, crawling
- Fine motor: grasping, transferring, manipulating
- Emotional attunement with caregivers
- Cause-and-effect early cognitive development
Why Experience Baby is a strong fit for Pennsylvania programs
Keystone STARS 2+ programs receive enhanced Child Care Works reimbursement. Documented, research-based infant curriculum is required for STARS 2 and above.
Keystone STARS (STARS 1–4) is Pennsylvania’s QRIS. STARS 2+ programs receive Child Care Works enhanced subsidy reimbursement.
Pennsylvania licensing and ratio context
Pennsylvania’s 1:4 infant ratio (one caregiver for every 4 infants) is among the most protective in the country. Infants’ rapid neurological development requires highly responsive, individualized care. Experience Baby’s activity design respects this reality: activities are designed to be implemented one-on-one during natural caregiving moments, not as structured group lessons.
Developmental domains covered in Experience Baby
Experience Baby integrates all eight developmental domains from Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework, with activities calibrated specifically for the birth–18 month age range. Every monthly kit embeds 2–3 skills into each activity — supporting whole-child development without siloing learning into subject areas.
Experience Baby activities map to specific PLSEC developmental levels across all domains. An alignment document maps every activity-to-PLSEC-indicator match, so educators can use completed activities as documentation evidence without creating separate records.
What arrives each month
Each Experience Baby kit is organized around a developmentally appropriate monthly theme. Themes are designed to be rich for infants through sensory experiences and caregiver engagement — not conceptual complexity. Here’s a sample of what a program year looks like.
Hello, World!
Introductory theme exploring textures, faces, and familiar voices. Emphasis on building secure caregiver-infant relationships and establishing classroom routines.
Falling Leaves
Nature-based sensory exploration with safe leaf textures, autumn colors, and outdoor observation. Emphasis on visual tracking, grasping, and early cause-and-effect.
I Can Move!
Gross motor milestone focus with tummy time activities, supported sitting explorations, and reaching and rolling games.
All About Me
Identity and self-awareness theme with mirrors, photo activities, and name recognition games. Strong social-emotional development connection.
Experience Baby and brightwheel: a complete solution
Experience Curriculum is now fully integrated with brightwheel, the #1 childcare management platform. For Pennsylvania programs already using brightwheel for billing, attendance, and family communication, adding Experience Baby creates a seamless curriculum-to-documentation workflow.
Document as you teach
Educators can log observations directly in brightwheel during or immediately after activities. Notes link to developmental milestones and build each child’s portfolio automatically.
Keep families connected
Parents receive real-time photos, videos, and activity updates through brightwheel. Experience Baby family take-home content can be shared digitally, keeping caregivers at home aligned with the classroom.
For programs documenting Pennsylvania PLSEC observations, brightwheel’s note-taking and milestone tagging features significantly reduce paperwork. All PLSEC documentation lives in brightwheel and can be exported for Keystone STARS reporting or family conferences.
Questions about Experience Baby in Pennsylvania
Is Experience Baby aligned to Pennsylvania’s PLSEC early learning standards?
Yes. Experience Baby is formally aligned to Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood: Infants and Toddlers (PLSEC). An alignment document maps each Experience Baby activity and skill to specific PLSEC measures and developmental levels, and is accepted by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) as curriculum alignment documentation.
Can Experience Baby help my Pennsylvania program achieve a higher Keystone STARS rating?
Many Pennsylvania programs find that using a structured, research-based, PLSEC-aligned curriculum supports their Keystone STARS rating. Experience Baby’s built-in observation tools and family engagement materials also support documentation requirements at higher Keystone STARS levels. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your local childcare resource agency.
How does Experience Baby work for a 1:4 infant ratio classroom?
Experience Baby is specifically designed for infant care realities, including Pennsylvania’s 1:4 ratio. Activities are calibrated for 2–5 minute individual interactions woven into caregiving routines rather than structured group lessons. Caregiver language prompt cards make it easy to embed learning into diapering, feeding, and play without requiring separate “lesson time.”
What is the cost of Experience Baby for Pennsylvania childcare programs?
Experience Baby pricing is based on program size and the number of children served. Pennsylvania programs may also qualify for subsidized pricing if serving children through state-funded programs. Pricing details and a free tour are available through the brightwheel website.
Does Experience Baby work for family childcare providers in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Experience Baby is well-suited for licensed family childcare homes in Pennsylvania. The curriculum is designed for small groups and individual infant interactions, making it ideal for family childcare settings where one provider may serve 1–4 infants simultaneously.