Aims Introduces Robotic Infant Simulation to Enhance Early Childhood Education Training

The Child Care Experience™ Program is an innovative, immersive learning technology that uses life-like robotic infants to help students master the complex realities of infant care. “This isn’t just a doll,” said Laura Killen-Wing, Department Chair and Instructor of Early Childhood Education at Aims. “These babies cry. They need to be fed, changed, burped, rocked, or just held. Their heads are sensitive to touch — if a student mishandles one or doesn’t support the neck, it records that. It's the next best thing to holding a real baby, and sometimes, even more challenging.”

A High-Tech Classroom in a Diaper Bag

The Child Care Experience™ package includes four programmable robotic infants, high chairs, changing tables, bottles, diapers, swaddling blankets, and food spoons — all equipped with sensors that monitor care interactions.

Designed to replicate the dynamics of an actual childcare center, the system lets instructors simulate various scenarios — from all four babies needing attention at once to random emergencies. Students then log their responses and actions in a baby care journal, which is monitored and assessed via software that tracks everything from successful care to missed interactions. 

“It's much better to put your hands on a pretend baby than a real baby if you're unsure,” Killen-Wing said. “In a childcare center, you can have one adult for three babies. Can you imagine taking care of three babies at once? Now we can simulate that experience for students.”

These hands-on learning tools enhance what the Aims Early Childhood Education program offers. “Childcare is about much more than reading about development stages in a textbook,” Killen-Wing said. “Until you’re in the moment — trying to figure out what that cry means while another baby’s bottle spills and a third needs their diaper changed — you don’t really understand the demands of this career.”

These new training tools were made possible through funding from a 2024-25 Perkins Grant from the  U.S. Department of Education, administered by the Colorado Career & Technical Education and the Colorado Community College System. Aims Community College received funding for this and other technologies to elevate learning in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. “This program highlights the value of Perkins funding and helps ensure our students are prepared for the workforce with real, hands-on experience,” Killen-Wing said. 

For more information about the Early Childhood Education program at Aims Community College, visit aims.co/early-childhood.