Toddler House
Ages 16 months – 3 years
THE SPRINGS offers a Toddler classroom for children 16 months to 3 years old. The Toddler House offers the same benefits of an early Montessori education that children in our Children’s House has been receiving for 50 years in the Springfield area in a smaller and more focused environment.
The Toddler House is rooted in the Montessori philosophy and aims to help children grow in independence, self-discipline, social and emotional awareness, and physical development of the body. Our Toddler House offers a 1:5 teacher ratio with assistant teachers working under the direction of a Lead Teacher holding a Montessori Infant Toddler Credential. Materials in the classroom are presented and designed to foster curiosity, exploration, self-sufficiency, and accomplishment with the flexibility and nurturing comfort of a small, attentive environment.
Our main goal for the Toddler House is that each and every child feels safe, happy and loved every day. Additionally, we strive to help each child develop, at his or her own pace, physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually.
- Practical Life: This area focuses on the toddler’s ability to care for himself as well to help him become aware of and begin to care for the environment around him. Through repetitive and precise exercises the toddler will learn concentration and order to gain independence. Examples include feeding oneself, dressing and undressing, toilet learning, hand washing, drinking from a cup, scooping, pouring, grace and courtesy. etc.
- Movement: Our Toddler House encourages the movement toddlers so desperately crave while helping children learn control of the body and develop spatial awareness, balance, and strength. Movement activities include yoga, dance, climbing apparatuses and both indoor and outdoor play.
- Language: Exposure to the elements of language is critical for this age group. Activities are designed to encourage expression, build vocabulary, strengthen word mapping skills and promote linguistic understanding. Regular conversation is encouraged in addition to reading, singing, rhyming, etc.
- Sensorial: Toddlers love nothing more than to explore, examine, and test. The sensorial materials encourage children to touch, watch, listen, taste, and smell, while helping them discriminate and classify, assign vocabulary, and problem solve.
- Mathematics and Science: Basic mathematical and scientific concepts will be introduced in preparation for entrance to the Children’s House classroom. Toddlers will explore the concept of quantitative description as well as the basis of experimentation and prediction
- Culture and Art: Toddlers explore the different celebrations and traditions of the cultures represented in their classroom. They begin to understand and become aware of the world outside of themselves. Additionally, art and music are major components of the toddler curriculum with free expression and planned projects aimed at fostering creativity available all day, every day.
We encourage parents to work collaboratively with us throughout their toddler’s Montessori experience and to trust that your child’s care and safety are our first priority. Parents will receive a daily information sheet while their child is in the Toddler House. Feedback about your child’s interests, preferences, and habits is encouraged. The parent is the child’s first and lasting teacher and the consistency between home and school is crucial during this developmental stage. Security and nurturing in this early stage when it is most appropriate will make the leap to independence at the next stage easier for both the children and the adults. Furthermore, acceptance of the classroom goals and values coupled with their promotion at home facilitate and even speed a child’s adjustment and success in the classroom.
Most of our Toddler students are enrolled in the Full Day Program. However, Half Day spaces may be available. The Toddler Program is 5 days a week. At this time, we do not offer programs for less that 5 days a week.