toddlers

Toddlers have formed the secure and trusting relationships that will serve as the cornerstone for their future emotional and social development and for making friends. With their blossoming language, imagination, and cognitive skills, Ready for Friends helps toddlers build a strong foundation to become confident learners in preschool.

Toddlers learn to:

Toddler Program

Respecting toddlers’ unique personalities while helping them develop friendships and learn the rules and routines of a group

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toddler stretching at daycare

Hands-on Learning

Toddlers are constantly busy, building their movement and language skills and eager to explore the world independently. Curious about everything, they need to touch and manipulate objects to learn. Toddlers grow best in a secure and calming environment that balances hands-on learning with plenty of opportunities to play.

PREDICTABLE ROUTINE

Toddlers need routine and predictability throughout their day so each toddler room has a consistent yet flexible schedule with a balance of child-led and teacher-initiated activities.

Supportive Learning Environment

Our secure and engaging toddler classrooms are well-organized and provide opportunities for toddlers to explore independently. Because toddlers learn by interacting with their senses, our classrooms are designed with numerous opportunities for physical exploration.

A CONSISTENT YET FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

Our toddler teachers have a wealth of experience working with one and two-year-olds, and nurture children’s individual interests as they introduce new objects and ideas. Our toddler classrooms are the perfect environment for curious toddlers to develop and learn at their own pace.

toddler outside laughing at preschool
toddlers learning about shapes at preschool

Patient and Caring Teachers

Our patient and caring educators guide hands-on learning experiences and play to promote toddlers’ developing social skills and foster their self-confidence. As toddlers experiment with their independence, teachers set and communicate clear and consistent limits for them. Teachers adapt the environment, materials and learning experiences to fit each toddler’s unique learning style, developmental goals, and interests.

COLLABORATION WITH PARENTS

Our teachers know that families are the main influence in a child’s life, and communication and collaboration with parents helps establish the partnership necessary for success. Each day, you’ll receive a personalized electronic note about your child’s day including details about nap times, meals, diaper changes, and learning activities. Frequent family events help toddler families make connections with other families in the First Circle community.

a peek at my day

toddler curriculum

Curriculum is the heart and soul of any learning program. Our unique curriculum, Connecting My World, encompasses all of the care and teaching that happens in our program. Connecting My World teaches children the critical knowledge, skills, and concepts important for school readiness.

AREAS OF LEARNING

Children don’t learn at the same pace or in the same way, so our curriculum supports individual strengths and interests, and respects each child’s learning styles, pace, temperament, developmental stage, and needs. Comprised of five interrelated areas of learning, Connecting My World develops children cognitively, linguistically, socio-emotionally, physically, and creatively. All five areas of child development are essential to develop the readiness skills necessary to help children be successful in school and in life.
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me and you

As toddlers, children are developing their own identity and personality, and beginning to understand how they fit into the diverse world around them. They are also learning the concepts of respect, diversity, and friendship.Me & You supports toddlers in building positive self-esteem, making friends and developing strong relationships with others. This area of learning guides them as they make choices, learn about personal responsibility, and develop values and character. By modeling and encouraging manners, talking about feelings, and encouraging self-help skills, toddler teachers help children develop critical social-emotional skills.

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brain power

Toddlers’ minds are as active as their bodies – they are busy trying to make sense of the world, and asking “why?” Brain Power gives toddlers daily opportunities to turn their curiosity about how things work into scientific thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. Teachers help children observe, experiment, classify, sort, and ask questions, which helps children with their attention and memory skills, and builds a foundation for scientific and mathematical thinking.

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imagine that

Toddlers are creative, artistic and imaginative, and by enhancing their development in these areas, we help them learn how to make choices and decisions, understand cause and effect, and further develop their critical thinking skills. Imagine That takes toddlers on a journey through the visual and dramatic arts, music, dance and creative movement. Toddlers nurture their creativity and imagination and investigate the world through their senses. By playing instruments, dancing to various types of music, and exploring paint, clay and other materials, teachers help toddlers explore the arts and build their imagination and creative skills.

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healthy me

Toddlers are busy exploring and making new connections while building strong bodies and motor skills. Healthy Me provides an environment to help toddlers learn to strengthen and refine small and large muscles, understand healthy choices, and learn to develop self-care skills. By spending time running, jumping and climbing practicing proper hygiene and talking about healthy choices, teachers help toddlers build habits for safety, health and self-care. When ready, our toddler teachers work together with families to teach self-help skills to easily integrate toilet learning into their toddler’s day.

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word smart

Toddlers’ language skills are growing in leaps and bounds as they learn new words every day and start to combine words into sentences. WordSmart ensures your toddler is immersed in a language-rich environment, with plenty of books and songs to foster a love of reading and build early literacy skills. Toddlers are introduced to circle time, which includes greeting friends and teachers, and learning through songs and stories. By introducing a weekly curriculum theme to expand vocabulary, playing games that teach language, and engaging children in conversation throughout the day, teachers help toddlers develop the language they need to express their thoughts, feelings and needs.

CHARACTER EDUCATION

Our unique character education program is an important part of our curriculum. MyCharacter includes learning objectives that teachers use to help children successfully develop and practice critical social skills, problem-solve, think creatively, make good choices, resolve conflict, persist through challenges, and build self-esteem.
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sense of self

self-competence

Matching pictures and words for “ball” while playing ball games fosters self-competence

resilience

Singing fun counting and rhyming songs practices patience and resilience

self-management

Practicing yoga helps children calm their bodies enhances self-management skills

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relationships

integrity

Using signs to communicate “all done” helps develop integrity

respect

Playing the hugging game and asking friends for permission to hug fosters respect

compassion

Playing games to match feelings with pictures develops compassion

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citizenship

community

Dressing up and playing as community helpers encourages community

mindfulness

Sharing personal stories at circle time teaches mindfulness

helpfulness

Singing while washing hands encourages helpfulness

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leadership

courage

Playing “red light, green light” develops courage

positive attitude

Creating an art project and sharing success with friends develops positive attitude

responsibility

Activities where toddlers learn to wait for their turn develops responsibility

learn more about our curriculum

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

AREAS OF LEARNING

CHARACTER EDUCATION

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