Toddler Community
(16–36 months)
We believe joy, independence, concentration, and a love of learning start early. Our Toddler Community is a beautifully prepared environment for children 16-36 months, filled with purposeful materials sized just for little hands.
Practical Life
Practical Life activities teach children to care for themselves, each other, and their environment.
Care of the Self
Children practice washing their hands, buttoning a coat, or brushing their hair, learning to care for their own bodies with patience and pride.
Care of the Environment
Watering plants, sweeping a small mess, or returning a basket to its place teaches children that they belong to, and help care for, the world around them.
Grace and Courtesy
Through gentle modeling rather than instruction, children learn to greet one another, wait their turn, and offer help, the quiet beginnings of community.
Movement of Furniture
Carrying a chair or rolling a small rug with care teaches a child control over her own body and respect for the space she shares with others.
Food Preparation
Slicing a banana, spreading butter, or pouring water from a small pitcher gives children their first taste of independence at the table.
Language
Our Toddler Community is a language-rich environment. Adults speak directly to children and consistently use clear articulation, precise grammar, and specific vocabulary. In addition to how speech is modeled, we also include books, poetry, song, nomenclature objects, and picture cards to develop language usage and vocabulary.
Movement
Children are able to move about the environment freely, within limits, which allows them to develop and refine large motor coordination. Inside there are opportunities for movement games, yoga, and dancing, while outside there is a climbing structre, tricycles for riding, wheelbarrows and wagons to push and pull, balance beams, and plenty of space to run.
