Toddler

Dr. Montessori believed that the first three years of life are the most fundamental in the development of human beings and their potential. In the Young Children's Community, children between the ages of fifteen months and three years interact in an environment that is specially prepared to meet their needs. Rather than a classroom setting, it is a nurturing environment where motor coordination, independences and language are cultivated.

Under the guidance of one teacher and two assistants, children participate joyfully in purposeful tasks. They also interact with older children, tending to flowers in the garden or sharing a beautiful song. The child's development of self-confidence and understanding that he is part of a community are fostered in the Young Children's Community.

Once the child has shown the readiness, between the ages of 2 1/2 and 3, he moves into the Primary Program.

Curriculum

The curricular work of the Young Children’s Community (YCC) falls into six main areas: Practical Life, Language Development, Control of Movement, Music, Art, and Self-Care. Additionally, we offer both our children and their parents support with important early activities such as eating, dressing, and toileting. Parents attending parent-infant classes receive early infancy and toddler advice before their child enters the YCC.

Practical Life work includes activities such as spooning, pouring, folding, scrubbing, polishing, cloth washing, food preparation, hand washing, and table setting. We foster Control of Movement through all kinds of carrying exercises and the processes of bringing a work to one’s table and returning it safely to the shelf. The environment is rich in Oral Language, with teachers and children engaging in a lot of frequent conversation. Rhymes, poems, stories and songs abound. Children learn a wide range of classified vocabulary by sorting objects and pictures organized into various categories. Sound games are begun. In addition to daily rhymes and singing, children learn to experience rhythms using a variety of percussion instruments. Art materials for coloring, painting, pasting, cutting, and molding are presented. Music of famous composers and art works of famous artists are featured periodically. Children learn to care for plants and to garden. Self-Care exercises such as undressing and dressing, toileting, and hand washing are integral parts of every morning’s work. Children play and further develop their large motor movements in their own specially designed playground, and they learn to live together for four mornings a week as a community of respectful and caring individuals.

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