Toddler

Children in the toddler program are starting to develop independence and strong personalities. The joys of the toddler program are the output that you receive from children in this age group. They are moving more, and are thrilled to see the world! They are excited to learn, and the staff of the room are constantly labelling items in the classroom to support memory and language development. Our toddler program allows for small group sizes and large learning opportunities. Independence and social cues are a large part of the toddler program.

Expressive language and understanding of individual needs begin in this classroom and the teachers take great care in supporting this age group through these milestones. Autonomy is a large domain (skill) that we work on at ATCD. ELECT labels autonomy as “initiating activities, setting own goals and persisting in achieving them (and) distinguishing own intended actions from unintended ones” (ELECT, Page 37). Our staff encourages this skill by providing open-ended materials, such as a block area with a variety of sizes, in order for the child to make conscious decisions on creating a solid base for their building. Teachers also act as play partners in supporting learning, so when the building falls they can help the child problem solve, “Let’s try building with the large blocks first and see if it stays up!”. In order to get the toddler ready for preschool, we introduce potty learning at 2 years and have toddlers successful in underwear before moving up to the preschool room.