Our Toddler Communities are vibrant cohorts of children who are walking well until ready for the Children’s House, or Primary classroom. Readiness for the Children’s House comes after a child’s third birthday, when a child is functionally independent in the bathroom including nap time.
Our Mountain Side and Creek Side Toddler Community classrooms provides an environment consistent with the development of the very young. Opportunities for peaceful and meaningful social interaction with both other children as well as adults serve as the foundation of the child’s experience at school. Beautiful, natural wooden materials aid in the development of fine motor skills; we work on strengthening the hand and pincer grasp in preparation for writing. Opportunities for language development, practical life, and concept development are also intertwined throughout many of the activities and materials available to the children. Children have the freedom to choose activities as they are drawn to them.
Because we know that children under three years of age are in what Montessori referred to as a sensitive period for movement, language, and order, our environment is prepared to meet these developmental needs of the young child. We know that the youngest child is a tactile learner, an active learner, and as Montessori educators, we prepare ourselves as well as the environment for the special task of assisting the child in their self construction. Children are a product of what they find in their environment – and so we prepare our environment with the highest quality materials and with adults who feel deeply the opportunities and responsibilities of being with the youngest child.
