TODDLER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
18 months - 3 years
a gentle, joyful first step into school
Our Toddler Community is a warm, home-like classroom where children from 18 months to 3 years old start school gently and at their own pace. With loving guides beside them, toddlers gain confidence, become more independent, and make their very first friends.
Everything in the room is made for them. Child-sized furniture and low, open shelves let toddlers choose an activity, engage with it, and put it back on their own. Every material has a purpose. At this age children soak up everything around them (Dr. Montessori called this “the absorbent mind”), so we fill their days with songs, stories, conversation, art, and hands-on discovery.
The result: curious, capable, kind little people who love coming to school.
Read about how to bring Montessori ideas for toddlers into your home.
TODDLER SCHEDULE:
Half Day: 8:00AM - 11:15AM
Full Day: 8:00AM - 3:00PM
After school care until 4:30PM
What your toddler will experience:
A calm, loving classroom where they feel safe and known
Real independence: caring for themselves and their classroom
Learning that follows their own pace and interests
Rich language: songs, stories, poems, and vocabulary
Kindness and social skills
Hands-on first steps into math and science
Art and creative expression
Cultures and languages from around the world
Gardening and time outdoors in nature
Frequently asked questions
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Teachers greet each child at the door between 8:00 and 8:15. The morning starts off gently as the children put their belongings away and engage in open-ended play and socialization. Once everyone has arrived, the toddlers transition to their main classroom. Here, they enjoy an unhurried stretch of work time, choosing: arranging flowers, watering the plants, working on a puzzle, naming objects from a language basket, and more. Children help set up for snack time, gather for songs and stories, and spend ample time time outdoors. Half-day children go home at 11:15. Full-day children stay for lunch, rest, and a quiet afternoon until 3:00.
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Our youngest children begin in the Toddler Community. The group is small by design: up to 10 children with 1 lead teacher and 1-2 assistant teachers. Children don’t need to be toilet trained before joining this class, and learning to use the toilet is part of the work here. Each child moves up to Primary when ready, usually between 2½ and 3.
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Toddlers are welcome to attend a few mornings a week up to all five days, depending on the family’s needs. Full-day options are available.
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Montessori is truly child-led. Our school has the advantage of allowing children to transition to their next classroom when they are ready. Most children transition into primary classrooms between the ages of 2.5 and 3.5. Primary rooms have mixed ages and include children up to the age of 6. Your child’s teacher will discuss a transition plan when they begin observing specific signs of readiness.
“One test of the correctness of education procedure is the happiness of the child.”