* The purpose of the Open Arms Infant Nurturing Program is to provide the Zhanjiang infants with direct, individualized care from trained personnel, whom will be called aunties. For optimal growth and development, the babies enlisted in the program will require certain types of auditory, olfactory, visual, and tactile stimulation at appropriate ages. For this reason, all interaction between auntie and baby will be with the sole purpose to aid in the facilitation of speech, emotional and social development, cognitive ability and fine/gross motor skills.
The Aunties
* The Open Arms Aunties will work two shifts of 5 hours each Monday through Friday. Each Auntie will be assigned to only 3 babies per shift. The auntie will work with the same 6 babies up until the time they enter foster-care, are adopted, or age out of the program at 2 years of age.
The Babies
* Institutionalized children fail to thrive when only their basic needs are being met. With early detection and intervention, these babies have the opportunity to develop more normally, emotionally, mentally and physically. While the optimal goal would be to have all infants in the nurturing program, fluctuation in the orphanages census may not allow for this. The babies selected for the Open Arms Infant Nurturing Program will be those that are between the age of 3-8 months and exhibit extreme delays in growth and development.
Data Collection
* The aunties will be required to document the progress of each infant. Daily/Weekly flow-sheets, monthly summaries and detailed quarterly reports will be utilized as a means of data collection. The aunties will also be required to take three photos (headshot, profile, and full body) of each baby every other Friday. All gathered information will be sent via email to FTIA and Zhanjiang Kids, where it will be reviewed and evaluated by newborn/pediatric registered nurses.
Speech Development
* An infants language skills develop in response to the sounds they hear. The aunties will provide a stimulating environment by singing and speaking to the babies, teaching words through play and exposure to music. Simple signing skills will also be incorporated. Babies who are taught signing during their pre-speech stage often speak sooner with larger vocabularies, thus decreasing frustration levels and boosting self-esteem.
Emotional Development
* Forming an attachment to a primary caregiver is essential to the emotional well-being of an infant. All babies in the Open Arms Nurturing Program will have a consistent auntie that will work with her on a daily basis. This continuity will allow the baby to develop a trusting relationship with her auntie, as she sees that her demands are consistently being met by the same caregiver. Bonding and attachment can occur once this trusting relationship is established.
Social Development
*The social development of an infant is an important predictor of personality development and closely related with social-life abilities. The personality of the babies may be shaped, refined, and molded in the presence of loving relationships. All babies in the Open Arms Nurturing Program will have interactions with their auntie, as well as with the other babies in the program, thus enhancing their social development.
Cognitive Development
* An infant’s brain grows at an amazing rate during the first year of her life. There is a direct correlation between brain growth and the stimulation it receives. In order to encourage brain development, the Open Arms Aunties will work with each baby on specific tasks for defined periods of time. These tasks will allow the infant to take an active role in learning as her auntie encourages her to manipulate her environment.
Fine and Gross Motor Development
*Gross motor skills refer to those involving large muscle activities, while fine motor refers to more finely tuned activities such as finger dexterity. One of the major tasks in gross motor development is the ability to move from one place to another. The Open Arms Nurture Program will allow the babies an opportunity to play on the floor with their auntie. This floor time will enhance the baby’s ability to crawl, sit up, roll over, and pull up to standing.
*The development of fine motor skills is crucial to a baby’s ability to experience and learn about the world, thus playing a major role in the development of intelligence. Fine motor skills are often used for communication purposes, both functional and expressive. Fine motor skills are developed through time, experience, and knowledge. The Open Arms aunties will enhance the development of fine motor skills in the babies by providing opportunities to play with age appropriate developmental toys.
