Our Infant Classroom

We know the first year of life can have a big influence on a child’s success in the years that follow. That’s why teachers in your child’s Infant classroom provide a loving and nurturing environment as they lay the foundation for learning. This includes literacy; communication and vocabulary skills to help your infant better express their needs; gross motor skills and sensory development; and emotional well-being.

Nurturing Active Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Happy Hearts®

Health & Safety

Our school is committed to high standards of safety and cleanliness as we create a caring and nurturing environment where children can thrive.

Requiring any children or staff with respiratory illness symptoms or fever to return home and stay home until fever free for at least 24 hours
Frequent disinfecting and sanitizing of high-touch toys
Frequent handwashing by children and staff, which is embedded in our curriculum and daily staff protocols
Training teachers on common signs of illness in children, and placing signage in every classroom to keep signs of illness top of mind
Daily laundering of crib sheets for infants; for older children, individual cots and blankets are provided for each child and laundered weekly
Ensuring appropriate teacher-student classroom ratios
Continuous health & safety training for our staff, including first aid and CPR certification
Maintaining an up-to-date and customized Safe School Plan posted in all classrooms for easy teacher access

Our Infant Classroom Teachers & Staff

Mrs. Anderson

Infant and Young Toddler

Hi! My name is Mrs. Anderson. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies in Early Childhood Education from Northwestern College in Roseville. I have been teaching at The Primrose School of Eden Prairie since August 2007. I am the POD Leader in the infant/young toddler classrooms. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

Ms. Urfali

Infant and Young Toddler

Hello Primrose families!

My name is Ms. Urfali. I joined the Primrose School of Eden Prairie in April of 2022 and I am very excited to be a part of such a wonderful and supportive team! I previously worked with children of all ages for 13 years and after taking a short break, I am very enthusiastic to be putting my wealth of knowledge and experience to good use as a part of the amazing Primrose family.

My oldest son, his countless fish, 2 rambunctious cats, have recently moved to the area and are really having fun exploring all that Eden Prairie has to offer! In my free time, I like to read, listen to music and watch Netflix, while working on the many crafts that I like to do!

I am excited to get know all of you as we embark on our Primrose journey!

Ms. Johnston

Infant and Young Toddler

Hello,

I have a Bachelor’s in History/Social Studies and a Master’s in Secondary Education. After some time in the school system, mainly middle school, I found that my real passion is Early Childhood. I am currently studying Early Childhood Education at Concordia University. Formerly, I was a teaching assistant and then a lead teacher working with toddlers at a Montessori school.

I was born in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and moved to the twin cities when I was one and a half. I lived in various suburbs before finding my home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

I found my way to Primrose and loved the community aspect of the school. I love teaching young children because of their curiosity and desire to learn.

In my free time, I love to read and watch baseball games. I’m excited to be a part of the Primrose community!

Mrs. Metcalfe

Infant and Young Toddler

Hi, my name is Chandler and I have lived in the Twin Cities for 2 years. I am originally from Chicago. I am a foodie, musician, dancer, and history buff. When I am not molding young minds, you can find me either teaching a dance class or enjoying time with my husband and daughter.

Mrs. Velamuri

Infant and Young Toddler

My name is Anjani and I came from India. I have a Bachelor’s degree and have a passion for teaching and working with children. I am married and a mom of 2 sons. My older son is currently a freshman in college and my other son is a Junior in high school.

I am excited to get to know all of you!

Mrs. Nyarko

Infant and Young Toddler

Bio coming soon!

Ms. Furst

Infant and Young Toddler

I am very excited to start my journey here at Primrose. I think Primrose has a lot to offer and look forward to being part of the team. My passion is working with children. I was born in Minneapolis and moved to the suburbs in junior high. I have worked with children from the time I got out of high school. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends and doing genealogy research.

Gallery

Writing About Breads

Support the children as we learn and write about different grains and color what we see for grains and breads.

Recognition of Animals and Animal Colors

We read the books Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? We noticed all the different colored animals in the books.

Pat and Smear

We encouraged our Infant students to experiment with painting on textured paper using different strokes and motions. (Textured stencil under the paper)

Encouraging Talks about Eating Healthy Foods

For sensory time, we washed our toy fruit with water to encourage our talk about eating healthy foods. While the children explored the sensory bins, we talked about how we wash our fruit to keep ourselves safe from illnesses and to stay healthy.

Wonder Time 2 Early Art Masters: Little Print, Big Print

We encouraged the children to compare different sized toys and to use them to create painted prints. Shows interest in different colors (full-color vision matures) Enjoys engaging with songs, rhymes, finger plays, pictures, books Intently observes objects and people; focuses on one object at a time Begins to explore and engage in geometric play (e.g., observing and interacting with shapes, blocks and looking at shape books) Begins to explore texture, sensory materials, mediums in connection with creative experiences and materials