Toddlers

Our toddler program embraces the wonder, energy, and rapid development characteristic of the toddler years. This dynamic period—from first steps to complex conversations—requires a program that balances structure with flexibility, independence with support, and active exploration with moments of calm. We create an environment where toddlers can safely test their growing capabilities while receiving the guidance and emotional support they need.

Program Philosophy: Toddlerhood is a time of remarkable transformation. Children progress from tentative first steps to confident running, from single words to full sentences, from parallel play to beginning friendships. We understand that toddlers are driven by an intense desire to explore, assert independence, and understand their world. Our program respects this developmental imperative while providing the boundaries, consistency, and nurturing relationships that help toddlers feel secure as they venture into new experiences.

We recognize that “terrible twos” is a misnomer—this is actually a “terrific” time of growth, learning, and personality development. Toddlers are not being difficult; they are learning to be independent. Our teachers are specially trained to understand toddler behavior, support emerging autonomy, and guide children through the emotional ups and downs of this exciting stage.

Primary Caregiving and Continuity: We maintain our primary caregiving approach into the toddler program, with each child having a primary teacher who knows them deeply and serves as their secure base for exploration. This consistency is especially important as toddlers navigate the emotional intensity and rapid changes of these years.

Our toddler program honors the unique challenges and joys of this developmental stage, providing the perfect balance of freedom and structure that toddlers need to thrive. We celebrate each child’s growing capabilities while offering the support and guidance that helps them navigate this exciting time of discovery and independence.

Developmental Focus Areas:

  • Developing sense of self and personal identity (“Me do it!”)

  • Learning to recognize and manage big emotions

  • Beginning empathy and awareness of others’ feelings

  • Parallel play progressing to simple interactive play

  • Developing autonomy while maintaining secure attachments

  • Building confidence and self-esteem

  • Learning to express needs and preferences

  • Practicing patience and turn-taking

  • Forming friendships with peers

  • Developing trust in consistent adults and routines

  • Learning about personal boundaries and respecting others

  • Expressing affection appropriately

  • Walking, running, jumping, climbing with increasing coordination

  • Throwing and catching balls

  • Pushing and pulling toys

  • Dancing and moving to music

  • Climbing stairs with support progressing to independence

  • Tricycle riding and other wheeled toy experiences

  • Balance beam and coordination activities

  • Fine motor skills: scribbling, painting, play dough manipulation

  • Self-feeding with utensils

  • Stacking, sorting, and building with blocks

  • Puzzle completion (simple to increasingly complex)

  • Beginning self-care skills (hand washing, putting on shoes)

  • Large and small muscle strengthening

  • Sensory motor integration

  • Vocabulary explosion (from 50 words to hundreds)

  • Two-word phrases progressing to complete sentences

  • Asking and answering simple questions

  • Following two-step directions

  • Naming familiar objects, people, and body parts

  • Beginning to use pronouns (I, me, you)

  • Singing simple songs and reciting rhymes

  • “Reading” familiar books and telling stories

  • Using language to express needs, wants, and ideas

  • Beginning conversations with peers and adults

  • Learning action words, descriptive words, and positional concepts

  • Listening comprehension during story time

  • Early phonological awareness (rhyming, alliteration)

  • Cause and effect understanding

  • Object permanence and search strategies

  • Simple problem-solving (how to reach toys, open containers)

  • Symbolic thinking and representation (one object stands for another)

  • Memory development (remembering where things belong, recalling recent events)

  • Categorizing and sorting by color, size, shape

  • Understanding simple patterns and sequences

  • Early number concepts (one, two, more, all gone)

  • Spatial awareness (in, out, under, over, behind)

  • Attention span increasing for preferred activities

  • Beginning understanding of time concepts (before, after, soon, later)

  • Imaginative and pretend play emerging

  • Increased competence in self-feeding with spoon and fork

  • Drinking from open cups

  • Beginning interest in toilet learning (responding to body cues)

  • Washing and drying hands with assistance

  • Taking off shoes, socks, coats with help progressing to independence

  • Beginning to dress self (putting arms in sleeves, legs in pants)

  • Putting toys away with guidance and reminders

  • Following simple classroom routines

  • Indicating needs (thirsty, hungry, tired, needs diaper change)

Toddlers begin to grasp simple faith concepts through concrete experiences. We share Bible stories with simple language and pictures, pray before meals and at other times, sing worship songs with motions, talk about God’s love and care, celebrate each child as special to God, practice kindness and sharing as expressions of faith, and acknowledge God in the wonders of creation during outdoor play.

  • Our toddler classrooms are designed to accommodate high energy, growing independence, and emerging social skills.

  • Clearly defined interest areas with low dividers allowing supervision

  • Child-height shelves with accessible, rotating materials

  • Soft areas for books and quiet play

  • Active areas for building, dramatic play, and movement

  • Art area with washable surfaces

  • Sensory table for exploration

  • Toddler-sized tables and chairs

  • Safe climbing structures

  • Family photos displayed at child height

  • Picture labels showing where materials belong

  • Enough materials to minimize conflicts while encouraging sharing

  • Natural lighting and homey touches

  • Cozy spaces for individual time

Interest Areas:

Play kitchen, dolls, dress-up clothes, toy phones, baby care items, multicultural props, household items

Soft blocks, wooden blocks, toy vehicles, animals, people figures, simple building materials

Chunky crayons, washable markers, finger paint, play dough, scissors with supervision, collage materials, easel painting

Board books, cloth books, photo albums, puppets, comfortable seating, books featuring diverse families and experiences

Simple puzzles (4-12 pieces), stacking toys, shape sorters, lacing cards, busy boxes, sorting materials

Water play, sand, rice, cloud dough, seasonal materials, tools for scooping and pouring

Instruments (drums, shakers, bells), scarves, movement props, recorded music, song books

Nature items, magnifying glasses, cause-effect toys, living things to observe (plants, fish), light table

Our toddler curriculum is play-based with intentional teaching embedded throughout the day. We follow children’s interests while ensuring exposure to a rich variety of experiences across all developmental domains.

Daily Structure:

While flexible to accommodate toddler needs, our day includes predictable routines and a balance of activities:

  • Arrival and Morning Greeting: Warm welcome, individual greeting for each child, brief parent communication, transition to play

  • Free Play/Interest Areas: Self-directed exploration, teacher facilitation and extension, social skill support

  • Morning Snack: Family-style serving, conversation practice, self-help skill development

  • Circle/Group Time: Songs, finger plays, stories, movement activities, calendar, weather (brief and active)

  • Structured Activity: Art projects, sensory experiences, cooking activities, science exploration

  • Outdoor Play: Gross motor activities, nature exploration, social play, sandbox and water play (weather permitting)

  • Lunch: Family-style meals, conversation, independence in eating

  • Rest Time: Individual cots/mats, quiet music, books for those who don’t sleep, respect for varying sleep needs

  • Afternoon Snack: Similar to morning snack

  • Afternoon Play: Interest areas, small group activities, outdoor play when possible

  • Closing Circle: Simple review of day, transition to home routine

  • Departure: Individual goodbye, sharing highlights with families

Instructional Strategies:

  • Following children’s leads and building on their interests

  • Offering choices to support autonomy

  • Using descriptive language to expand vocabulary

  • Asking open-ended questions

  • Providing appropriate challenges (not too easy, not frustrating)

  • Modeling desired behaviors

  • Using positive guidance and redirection

  • Narrating actions to support language development

  • Planned activities targeting specific skills

  • Small group activities for individualized attention

  • Large group times building community

  • Embedded learning during routines

  • Teachable moments throughout the day

  • Documentation of learning through photos and observations

Toddlers experience intense emotions and are just beginning to develop self-regulation. Our teachers:

  • Acknowledge and name feelings (“You seem frustrated that…”)

  • Teach simple emotion vocabulary

  • Model calm responses to upset

  • Provide comfort and co-regulation

  • Teach simple conflict resolution strategies

  • Celebrate prosocial behaviors

  • Use visual cues for feelings

  • Create predictable routines that provide security

  • Offer choices within safe limits

  • Respect toddlers’ growing need for independence

Outdoor time is essential for toddler development. Weather permitting, we spend significant time outside daily.

Outdoor Experiences:

  • Climbing structures appropriate for toddler development

  • Open spaces for running, ball play

  • Tricycles and push toys

  • Sandbox with tools and toys

  • Water play tables in warm weather

  • Nature exploration (observing bugs, collecting leaves, feeling bark)

  • Sidewalk chalk art

  • Bubbles and other cause-effect outdoor toys

  • Sensory experiences with natural materials

  • Gardens where children can dig and explore

  • Dramatic play with outdoor props

Meals are social learning experiences as well as nutritional times.

Mealtime Practices:

  • Family-style serving when developmentally appropriate

  • Teachers eating with children, modeling healthy eating

  • Conversation and social interaction

  • Self-serving and pouring practice (with appropriate containers)

  • Trying new foods without pressure

  • Accommodating food allergies and dietary restrictions

  • Teaching mealtime routines (hand washing, helping set table)

  • Appropriate portions with seconds available

  • Relaxed atmosphere

  • Celebrating growing independence in self-feeding

Daily communication remains important during the toddler years.

Daily Updates:

  • ProCare app with photos, activities, meals, naps, diaper changes/bathroom use

  • Brief face-to-face conversations at pickup and drop-off

  • Notes about significant moments, achievements, or concerns

  • Monthly newsletters with curriculum themes and activities

Partnership Topics:

  • Toilet learning strategies and progress

  • Language development and behavior at home vs. school

  • Sleep patterns and any changes

  • Social development and friendships

  • Challenging behaviors and collaborative approaches

  • Celebrating milestones together

  • Coordinating approaches between home and school

Developmental Assessment:

  • Ongoing observational assessment

  • Documentation through photos, anecdotes, work samples

  • Developmental screening tools as appropriate

  • Parent-teacher conferences twice yearly

  • Progress reports

  • Early intervention referrals if concerns arise

Toddlers are learning self-control, social skills, and appropriate behavior. Our guidance strategies:

  • Prevention: Appropriate environment, sufficient materials, clear routines, meeting needs promptly

  • Teaching: Modeling desired behaviors, clear expectations, explanations children can understand

  • Redirection: Offering alternatives when behavior is unsafe or disruptive

  • Natural Consequences: When safe and appropriate

  • Logical Consequences: Connected to the behavior

  • Time-In: Staying near an upset child, offering comfort and co-regulation

  • Problem-Solving: Teaching simple strategies for peer conflicts

  • Consistency: Similar approaches from all staff members

We partner closely with families during this important milestone, recognizing that readiness varies widely.

Our Approach:

  • Following each child’s developmental readiness cues

  • Close communication with families about timing and approach

  • Consistent routines and regular bathroom visits

  • Celebrating successes without pressure

  • Matter-of-fact response to accidents

  • Cultural sensitivity in approaches

  • Patience and understanding that setbacks are normal

  • Child-sized toilets or potty chairs

  • Independence in hand washing after toileting

  • Books and resources about toileting

  • Understanding behavior as communication

  • Identifying triggers and patterns

  • Collaboration with families

  • Consistency across environments when possible

  • Teaching replacement behaviors

  • Referral to specialists if needed

  • Patience and positive expectations

Children may move between toddler classrooms based on age and development:

  • Gradual transitions with visits to new classroom

  • Familiar teachers when possible

  • Communication between teachers about individual needs

  • Family involvement in timing decisions

  • Continued relationship with previous teachers during adjustment

  • Respect for children’s emotional responses to change

When toddlers are ready (typically around 3 years old, toilet learned, ready for longer group times):

  • Developmental readiness assessment

  • Family conferences to discuss timing

  • Visits to preschool classroom

  • Gradual transition schedule

  • Photo books showing new classroom and teachers

  • Special celebration of growing up

  • Continued support during adjustment period

By the time children transition to preschool, they typically demonstrate:

  • Increased language skills with expanding vocabulary and sentence use

  • Growing independence in self-care (eating, dressing, toileting)

  • Improved emotional regulation with decreasing tantrums

  • Beginning friendships and social skills

  • Curiosity and engagement in learning activities

  • Physical competence and coordination

  • Beginning understanding of routines and expectations

  • Problem-solving attempts before seeking adult help

  • Growing attention span for activities and stories

  • Pride in accomplishments and developing self-esteem