Toddler Community
Toddler Community
Starting around 14 months
It's never too early to talk to us about enrollment. We provide support to help prepare you and your child to attend when the time is right.
Maria Montessori observed that young children learn through use of their senses. She also found that if a child's mind is fully stimulated by purposeful activities in a rich environment in the first three years of life, the brain will develop a stronger ability to learn throughout his or her lifetime. Therefore, a Montessori Toddler Community is a carefully prepared environment in which children can explore with all of their senses to meet their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs. As they explore, toddlers learn independence and follow their interests.
Our staff are trained to prepare the Toddler Community environment and provide each child with the opportunity to follow his or her unique path of development. The Toddler Community consists of the following key areas:
Our staff are trained to prepare the Toddler Community environment and provide each child with the opportunity to follow his or her unique path of development. The Toddler Community consists of the following key areas:
Practical LifeCalled "practical" because they are activities that allow children to contribute to caring for themselves and their environment. This area consists of indoor and outdoor environments designed to aid the child developing concentration, independence, and coordination of movement. Typical practical life activities include:
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LanguageLanguage development is a large part of toddlerhood as children learn to name the objects around them and verbally express their needs.Toddler confidence builds as they gain greater skill and experience with expressing themselves. Heartland also incorporates Spanish into its curriculum, giving toddlers exposure to more than one language during this key period of language development.
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Self-Expression Through Music & ArtMusic and movement give toddlers many creative ways to express themselves. Singing, dancing, playing instruments, scribbling with crayons, or manipulating clay can all strengthen independence, coordination, and motor development.
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MovementAnother area of exploding development at this age is is gross and fine motor skills. Using large and small muscle groups, toddlers take advantage of indoor and outdoor environments to engage in movement games, climb, and develop eye-hand coordination.
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Heartland offers several scheduling options in the Toddler Community. At a minimum, children attend for three hours each morning, Monday through Friday. This time period, known as a "work cycle," provides children with three hours of uninterrupted time to explore their interests, working both individually and as a community, to explore and build concentration and independence. Families can also choose to add three, four, or five afternoons to give their toddlers more time to explore and learn. Afternoons also include time for lunch, nap, and play (recess). Before and after school care is available.