Choosing infant care is one of the most stressful decisions a new parent makes. The stakes feel enormous, the options can be overwhelming, and it’s not always clear what you should actually be looking for beyond a clean room and a warm face.
Madeline Kondub, Director of CP Kids at Chelsea Piers Connecticut, has these conversations with families every day. Here’s what she tells them.
The Questions Worth Asking on Every Tour
When Kondub talks to parents who are evaluating infant programs, she encourages them to focus on a few things that don’t always make it onto the standard checklist.
The first is staffing consistency. Not just ratios on paper, but actual retention. Do caregivers stay? Do the same people show up every day? For infants, continuity isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s foundational to how babies form secure attachments and feel safe in a new environment.
The second is how individualized care is handled, especially around feeding and sleep. A quality infant program follows each child’s personal schedule rather than a one-size-fits-all routine. If a center can’t clearly explain how they handle that, it’s worth pressing.
Third, look at how the environment is set up to support development, not just supervision. Is there space for safe exploration? Are caregivers actively engaging with babies, or managing them? There’s a difference, and you can usually see it on a tour.
Finally, ask about communication. How often will you hear from the teachers? What does a typical update look like? Strong programs treat families as partners, not as pick-up and drop-off appointments.
What a Day Looks Like at CP Kids
“High-quality infant care at CP Kids feels like a true home away from home,” says Kondub.
The infant rooms are intentionally overstaffed so each child receives consistent, individualized attention throughout the day. Caregivers follow each baby’s personal routine for feeding, sleeping, and play. The focus is on building strong, secure relationships so children feel known and cared for, not just looked after.
The day is responsive and nurturing, built around one-on-one interaction, sensory exploration, and ongoing communication with families. Infants are supported in meeting their developmental needs at their own pace, not on a schedule designed for the room’s convenience.
Beyond the classroom, CP Kids infants also get dedicated time in the studios for gross motor development, walks through the building, and regular use of the Little Athletes Gym, an indoor play area designed specifically for the youngest children in the program.
The Thing That Surprises Most Families
When families tour the infant room at CP Kids, there’s one thing that tends to catch them off guard: how much interaction the babies have with each other.
“Even during tummy time or floor play, they’re naturally looking at each other, noticing each other, beginning to build early social awareness,” Kondub explains. “It’s not just independent care in separate spaces. There’s a real sense of connection and early socialization happening throughout the day, even at such a young age.”
For many new parents, that’s not something they thought to look for. But once they see it, it tends to stay with them.
One Last Thing Kondub Tells Every Family
No brochure or website fully captures what makes a program feel right for your child. Kondub’s consistent advice to families in their search: come in and see it for yourself.
“When families tour CP Kids, meet the teachers, and see the classrooms in action, it usually becomes clear pretty quickly if it feels like the right place,” she says. “That feeling matters. Trust it.”
Schedule a Tour
CP Kids enrolls infants through preschool-age children at Chelsea Piers Connecticut in Stamford. CP Kids is open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 6:00pm, with a school day option from 9:00am to 3:00pm. To schedule a tour or learn more about the program, visit https://www.chelseapiers.com/athleticclub-stamford/daycare-preschool.
This article is sponsored by CP Kids at Chelsea Piers Connecticut