Not sure your child is ready for Kindergarten?
PARENT PAGES
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West Shore
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Children transition from the Nursery at eighteen months into Toddler One and remain there until approximately 24 to 26 months of age before moving on to Toddler Two. The Toddler room has large waist to ceiling-high windows. Children drink from lidded cups, not bottles, nap on cots and eat snacks and lunch together at their table, learning to use appropriate utensils to feed themselves. Toddler One and Toddler Two combine for large muscle play, at the beginning and at the end of the day, but there are never more than seven children with only one caregiver when combined.
Highlights of Toddler One
 | Toddler One is a group of seven children with their caregiver in a room with Toddler Two. |
| Furniture, diapering, toileting and hand-washing facilities are age appropriate. |
| Activity notes are filled out for each child every day so that parents are aware of important happenings. |
| Two snacks and a hot lunch provided at no additional cost |
| Posted theme-based, age appropriate lesson plans |
Program
Toddler One children are supported as they acquire skills during a balance of quiet and active play. Teachers extend children's language ("Michele play" to "Michele wants to play with the stroller"). Teachers actively and frequently use open-ended questions in meaningful situations to help toddlers name and recall "Where is ...?" Children are comforted when necessary, and acknowledged for their accomplishments and helped to feel increasingly competent and in control of themselves.
You will see us...
| Follow time schedules that are smooth but flexible, dictated as much as possible by children's needs. There is a relatively predictable sequence to the day to help children feel secure. |
| Support and positively encourage children's attempts to dress themselves and put on shoes. |
| Hang toddler's art work for them to look at. |
| Provide a variety of books, photographs of family and familiar things to name and talk about. |
| Comfort and nurture toddlers and let them know they are appreciated. |
| Model the type of interactions with others that we want children to develop. |
| Help toddlers resolve their differences by using words to express what is happening and what the toddler is feeling. |
| Redirect toddlers to help guide them toward controlling their own impulses and behavior. |
| Give clear sanctions for overtly dangerous behavior. |
| Provide a balance of indoor and outdoor gross motor play |
How we play...
| Caregivers read, sing, do fingerplays with the children and play games inside and outside during large muscle play. |
| We provide children with daily opportunities for exploratory activity, such as water and sand play, painting, and playdough manipulation. |
| Sturdy books, simple puzzles, other manipulatives and lots of appropriate toys are on open shelves that the toddlers can easily access. |
| Pull and push toys are favorites and used inside and outside for fun. |
| The room has dress-up clothes and an unbreakable mirror for admiring oneself. |
| There is a housekeeping corner with appliances, dishes and pretend food. |
| Our fenced-in playground has a special toddler climber, toddler slide, sand box, water tables and open space for running in the grass. |