Toddler Program

Focus on Language Development and Acquiring Skills for Independence – In a Slower-Paced, Smaller-Scale Environment with a Lower Teacher-Child Ratio

Our toddler classrooms are simpler and slower paced than the classrooms for three to six year olds. Tables and chairs are smaller and the teacher-child ratio is lower. The atmosphere is positive, supportive and non-competitive – and includes a lot of singing and physical movement. The materials are specifically structured to meet the developmental needs of toddlers and to support their need for purposeful activity. The classroom focuses on two main areas, language development and acquiring skills for independence and social interactions, supplemented by select, simplified Sensorial materials.

Language development. Toddler age children have a special sensitivity for learning the language they hear spoken around them. The toddler classroom offers many creative and intriguing linguistic concepts to expand their growing vocabularies. By participating in conversations, listening to stories, classifying objects and learning songs and poems, they nurture their budding language skills.

Skills for independence. A toddler spends a large amount of time learning the self-help skills that lead to independence from constant adult help. In our classrooms, we facilitate this development in several ways.

Special "practical life" exercises that break down daily tasks into manageable steps, and enable repeated practice to achieve mastery. Toddlers often are in a frustrating position: they want to do things for themselves, but do not know how. Many tantrums can be avoided by enabling a child to do things for himself at a time when he is eager to do so. Thus, we offer our toddlers endless opportunities to practice daily tasks – from pouring (first, with solid objects, like beans, then rice, then water) to sorting; from washing a table to watering plants; from dressing themselves in simple clothes (including showing them how to put on a jacket using a trick we call the “Montessori throw,” where the child positions the jacket in front of him where he can see it, puts his hands into the sleeves, then flips the jacket over his head) to mastering buttons, bows and zippers. By performing one step at a time, a child is easily able to master new skills, giving her a great sense of personal achievement and pride.

A simple, orderly environment, with a clear, consistent structure and limited choices. Dr. Montessori realized that much of the toddler's uncontrollable emotions (tantrums included) come from being out of control – and especially from being in an environment not suited to his needs. Thus, our classrooms are child-sized – and, equally importantly, orderly. A child knows, every day, what to expect when – and where to find his favorite activity. We also offer him limited choices, so he can choose without being overwhelmed.

Social skills development through role modeling and language development. We gently guide your child to develop the bedrock skills he needs to live together peacefully with other children and adults. We guide him to hang up his own jacket or apron, and put back a work in its proper place in the shelf. We encourage him to problem-solve rather than say "I can't." Because children this age have a strong tendency to imitate what they see, our teachers constantly model appropriate social skills, good manners and consideration for others. Our skilled teachers also show your child how to use words to identify the feelings they experience in themselves and that they see in others. In these ways we are able to help smooth their initial social interactions.

Sensorial and gross motor activities. Our toddler classrooms also contain a selection of simpler Sensorial exercises – such as simplified Knobbed cylinders, puzzles and stacking exercises – which help the children in developing their fine motor skills and their abilities to observe and solve problems. Our teachers lead the children in song, dance and a variety of other exercises that offer them the opportunity to jump, climb, balance, crawl or skip, and this exercises their large muscles.

From "Terrible Two" to "Terrific Two": Making the Precious Toddler Years More Enjoyable for Child and Adult Alike

By offering your toddler an environment especially prepared for his early childhood development, we enable him to thrive – to be, in the words of one of our parents, a "terrific two", rather than a "terrible two." The key benefits our parents observe include:

• Better language skills – and a better ability to communicate needs, feelings and thoughts.
  
  
• More physical independence – by being able to do more things by themselves.
  
  
• Full potty training while at school – we partner with you to ensure that your 2-year-old can be without diapers during the day time.
  
  
• Improved social skills – including such abilities as asking for help appropriately, respecting another child's turn at playing with a toy gracefully, and inviting other children to play.