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Monday 9am - 6pm Tuesday 9am - 6pm Wednesday 9am - 6pm Thursday 9am - 6pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Milieu Children's Center, South Miami, FL (2025)

07/23/2025

✨ Meet Play Pals — Where Therapy Meets Play ✨

Play Pals is our relationship-based enrichment program for toddlers ages 2–3 who are ready for a gentle drop-off experience designed to support the whole child. 💛

Each 2.5-hour session is thoughtfully structured to promote communication, sensory development, and school-readiness through joyful, child-led activities.

🗣️ The first 90 minutes are led by our bilingual speech-language pathologist, Ms. Gaby, who supports:
• Communication development
• Social interaction
• Engagement & connection
—all through evidence-based, play-based strategies.

🎨 The final hour is led by our certified occupational therapist, Ms. Jackie, who brings in:
• Sensory-rich activities
• Fine and gross motor play
• OT-based skills to support regulation and independence

🌱 Whether your child needs a little extra support or you’re simply looking for a meaningful alternative to full-time daycare, Play Pals is the perfect stepping stone.

📍 2x/week | 2.5-hour sessions
(Tuesdays & Thursdays)
📞 Call (305) 763-8132 or 📧 email services@milieuchild.com to enroll—spots are limited!

07/21/2025

✨Stages of Play: A guide for Caregivers ✨

🔹 Unoccupied Play (Birth–3 months)
🌀 What it looks like: Your baby makes random movements, kicks their legs, or stares at their hands.
💡 Example: A baby waving their arms and tracking a ceiling fan.
🧠 Why it matters: This is how babies begin exploring their bodies and surroundings.
•
•
🔹 Solitary Play (Birth–2 years)
👶 What it looks like: Your child plays alone, focused on their own activity.
💡 Example: A toddler stacking blocks independently.
🧠 Why it matters: It builds independence, attention span, and creativity.
•
•
🔹 Onlooker Play (Around 2 years)
👀 What it looks like: Your child watches others play but doesn’t join in.
💡 Example: A child sits nearby while others play with toy animals.
🧠 Why it matters: They’re learning social rules, communication, and how play works.
•
•
🔹 Parallel Play (2–3 years)
🧱 What it looks like: Children play side by side but don’t interact much.
💡 Example: Two kids coloring at the same table with their own crayons.
🧠 Why it matters: They’re learning social boundaries and comfort in peer environments.
•
•
🔹 Associative Play (3–4 years)
🎨 What it looks like: Kids start sharing materials and chatting, but there’s no shared goal.
💡 Example: Children using the same markers while talking, but each drawing their own picture.
🧠 Why it matters: It fosters conversation, sharing, and early cooperation.
•
•
🔹 Cooperative (Collaborative) Play (4+ years)
🏗️ What it looks like: Children play with shared goals, rules, or storylines.
💡 Example: A group of kids building a pretend grocery store and assigning roles.
🧠 Why it matters: This is where teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving take off.

✨ Children don’t move through these stages in one straight line—they may revisit earlier stages based on their comfort level, setting, or even who they’re playing with. That’s totally normal!

💬 When parents understand these stages, they can better support their child’s play skills, social growth, and emotional development.

Follow along with us for more insights into child development and play-based learning!

07/18/2025

🌿✨ This week at Books + Brushes, we wrapped up our magical jungle adventure in the most wildly creative way! The kids added the final touches to our jungle murals, crafted twisty vines, and even painted real leaves using their feet — a playful and powerful way to engage the senses! 👣🎨

🍋 To add to the fun, we squeezed fresh lemons and created our own pretend play jungle picnic — where imagination, taste, and teamwork came together in a beautiful, sensory-rich experience. 🧺🌞🦁

At Milieu Children’s Center, we believe in nurturing the whole child by incorporating multiple learning domains into every experience. That means tapping into all the senses — sight, sound, touch, movement, taste, and more — to help children explore, learn, and grow in ways that honor their unique styles and interests. 🌈💫

Every child learns differently — and we celebrate that. 💛 Through play, art, and connection, we create meaningful moments that support development, foster creativity, and spark curiosity.

07/17/2025

🗣️✨ “Words come to life when wrapped in love, play, and connection.”
⁠
Language development in early childhood isn’t just about teaching words—it’s about creating rich, connected experiences that help your child feel safe, heard, and curious. ⁠

👶 Research shows that children who are exposed to frequent, responsive, and meaningful interactions—especially through play—develop stronger language skills. In fact, a study from MIT found that the number of back-and-forth conversations between parent and child is more predictive of language growth than the number of words a child hears. 💬💡

Here’s how you can support language development at home:
🌟 Follow their lead. Talk about what they’re interested in—even if it’s the same toy for the 100th time!
🧸 Play together. Use pretend play to introduce new vocabulary and social interaction.
👂 Pause and wait. Give your child time to respond, even if it’s a sound or a gesture.
📚 Read daily. Books open the door to new language—and connection.
💞 Be present. Eye contact, facial expressions, and gentle touch support communication before words even come.

Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about connection. Every loving interaction is helping to build your child’s brain and their ability to communicate with the world around them. 🌍💬

07/15/2025

✨OPEN ENROLLMENT✨

Our Therapeutic- Educational Program offers a nurturing environment for children 32 months* to 5 years of age who would benefit from specialized instruction to address varied capabilities**

The Program utilizes a multidisciplinary perspective and collaboration between professionals and parents to reveal the vibrant potential of each child.✨

Our program utilizes PLAY to CONNECT while
scaffolding GROWTH and LEARNING through a Therapeutic- Play Approach, a Personalized Educational Plan (PEP), and Social Reinforcers.

To maintain children properly engaged throughout the day, a balanced and multi-dimensional routine is put in place.

Periods fluctuate from child-lead to adult-lead, social to individualized, from sitting to moving and dancing, from indoor to outdoor. These periods are filled with multi-modal experiences including visual,auditory, and kinesthetic activities, to address children’s different learning styles and sensory preferences.

Our comprehensive model is committed to Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) and accounts for whole-child growth including: social-emotional, cognition, play, sensory processing, gross motor, fine motor, speech sound development, receptive and expressive language.

For more information or to schedule a consult please contact us:
☎️(305) 763-8132
📧services@milieuchild.com
📧danielle@milieuchild.com
📧dariana@milieuchild.com

07/14/2025

Helping children learn starts with helping them feel safe, seen, and regulated. 🌟

Before a child can explore, play, or problem-solve—they must first feel grounded in their body and emotions. This is where regulation comes in.

Regulation is the foundation for all learning. When children are dysregulated—whether from sensory overload, emotional stress, or unmet needs—it becomes difficult for their brains to focus, engage, or retain information.

Here are 5 simple yet powerful ways to support your child’s regulation every day:

1️⃣ Be consistent with routine
Children thrive on predictability. Morning rituals, mealtimes, and bedtime routines create safety and reduce anxiety. Even small rituals like singing a goodbye song before school or offering a cuddle after daycare can help anchor their day.

2️⃣ Set limits and boundaries
Boundaries are loving. They help children understand what’s expected and give structure to their world. Example: “It’s okay to feel upset, but hitting is not okay. Let’s stomp our feet instead.”

3️⃣ Model self-regulation
Your calm is contagious. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and name your feelings out loud: “I’m feeling frustrated, so I’m going to take a break.” This teaches children how to recognize and respond to their own big feelings.

4️⃣ Acknowledge feelings
Validation helps children feel understood. Instead of rushing to fix or dismiss an emotion, try: “It looks like you’re really sad right now. I’m here with you.” This helps children learn to navigate emotions rather than avoid them.

5️⃣ Use simple language
In moments of dysregulation, children need clarity. Short, calm phrases like “Let’s breathe together” or “First snack, then play” support understanding and reduce confusion.

🌈 Remember: Every behavior is a form of communication. By tuning into your child’s needs and helping them regulate, you’re giving them the best gift—the ability to connect, learn, and thrive.

You’ve got this. 💪✨

07/10/2025

🦁🌿 Welcome to the Jungle! 🌿🦁

This week in Books + Brushes, our little explorers went on a wild adventure through the jungle! They splashed into rich textures, vibrant colors, and hands-on fun that supported so many areas of their development. From using spray bottles to paint fallen “logs” (hello fine motor magic! 💪) to diving into sensory bins filled with crunchy leaves, soft moss, and jungle critters, every activity was thoughtfully designed to spark imagination and grow curious minds.

Sensory play like this isn’t just fun—it builds brain connections, encourages language, and helps kids process and learn through experience. Our young artists even teamed up to create HUGE jungle murals that turned the classroom into a lush, magical world of vines and creatures! 🎨🖐️🌳

We’re SO excited to keep creating more magical worlds and memories here at Milieu Children’s Center. Stay tuned… the adventure continues! 🌈📚✨

07/08/2025

✨ “The greatest gift we can give our children is to be curious about who they are, not who we expect them to be.” ✨

This quote captures the heart of the DIR Floortime approach—meeting children where they are, with open hearts and curious minds. 💛

When we step into their world and wonder with them instead of directing at them, connection deepens, communication grows, and development unfolds in the most meaningful ways.

👣 Slow down.
👀 Get on their level.
🧠 Be curious and lead into their interests.
💬 Let them lead.

Your child is not a project to fix, but a person to discover. 🌿

07/07/2025

🐞✨ Budding Babies Session 2 was full of color, curiosity, and connection! This week, our tiniest explorers had a blast diving into a world of textures, bugs, and bold colors—and even did some safe and silly taste testing! From squishy to crunchy, sweet to sour, it was a full sensory adventure that sparked smiles and supported development. 💚

🌿 Budding Babies is our weekly play-based program designed for little ones and their grown-ups. Held every Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, it’s the perfect time for moms, dads, and caregivers to connect, learn about developmental milestones, and create enriching experiences in a nurturing and playful environment.

💬 Come build your village, make sweet memories, and watch your baby bloom. 🌸

📧Want to join?! Email us at services@milieuchild.com or call (305) 763-8132 to register for upcoming sessions.

07/04/2025

🇺🇸🎆 Happy 4th of July from all of us at Milieu Children’s Center! 🎆🇺🇸

We’ve had a week full of red, white, and blue as we celebrated Independence Day with our little ones. From decorating a festive truck for our very own pretend play parade through the halls, to cookie decorating and colorful arts & crafts — this week was packed with creativity, connection, and fun!

Our 4th of July truck parade was a highlight! The children worked together to decorate it, building teamwork and collaboration, and then used their imaginations to bring the celebration to life. Activities like these support a variety of developmental skills — from fine motor work during art and decorating, to social-emotional growth through pretend play and cooperative planning.❤️🤍💙

07/03/2025

This week in our TEP summer program, we celebrated the spirit of the Fourth of July with a colorful explosion of creativity! 🇺🇸✨

The children explored the vibrant colors of red, white, and blue through hands-on arts and crafts using unique materials. From designing dazzling fireworks to helping decorate a truck for our very own pretend-play parade, the classrooms were bursting with imagination, joy, and patriotic pride.

Wishing all our Milieu families a happy and safe Fourth of July! 🎆❤️

Please note: Milieu Children’s Center will be closed on Friday, July 4th in observance of the holiday.

07/02/2025

✨ “Behind every challenging behavior is a skill waiting to be taught and a need waiting to be understood.” ✨

If you’re a parent feeling overwhelmed by your child’s dysregulation or big behaviors—this message is for you. 💛

Challenging behaviors aren’t personal, and they’re not a sign that you’re failing. They are signals—a child’s way of saying, “I need help understanding what I’m feeling” or “I don’t have the skills yet to cope with this.” When we shift from reacting to interpreting, we open the door to connection and growth.

🔑 The first step isn’t correction—it’s connection.
Before we teach, we must reach.
Your calm is their compass. Your empathy is their safe place.

💡 Co-regulation Tips for When Your Child is Dysregulated:
1. 🫶 Validate First
Say things like: “You’re really upset right now, and that’s okay.”
Let them know you see their feelings—even if the behavior needs support.
2. 🌬️ Regulate Yourself
Take a breath. Get low. Use a calm, soft tone. Your nervous system helps regulate theirs.
3. 🧩 Be the Interpreter
Help them name the feeling: “It looks like you’re frustrated because you couldn’t have more time.”
Kids need our help putting words to emotions.
4. 🧭 Set Loving Limits
“It’s okay to feel mad. It’s not okay to hit. I’m here to help you find another way.”
Boundaries + empathy = safety.
5. 🔁 Repeat and Stay Consistent
Co-regulation is a practice. Over time, your child learns emotional safety through your steady presence.

🌱 You’re not just managing behavior—you’re teaching emotional skills that will last a lifetime.
You are doing important, heart-centered work. Keep going. 💛

Milieu Children's Center

07/23/2025

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Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 5pm