The right environment: safe, secure, and orderly
The Toddler Community is a home away from home for children of 18 to 36 months. A true Montessori environment, prepared specifically for them, it is a nurturing social community where very young children can learn and grow individually and also participate in a cooperative group with other children. The beauty of this environment is that it is ordered, secure, and safe, yet actually stimulates and entices children to their work. The pervasive feeling of joy in the Toddler Community--as in all Montessori environments--has its roots in the freedom within structure that is appropriate to the children’s developmental abilities.

Toddler Community
Daily life in the Toddler Community, approximately 14 children in number, consists of individual work time, group time, outdoor time, and food preparation and eating. The prime areas of focus are the strengthening of language, refinement of movement, and growth in independence under the guidance of a Montessori trained toddler teacher. In addition to the use of Montessori toddler materials, children engage in conversation, gardening, dressing themselves, art and music, cooking, toileting--activities that they easily associate with home. Independence is fostered by allowing the child to choose from a variety of activities she can accomplish with success and that are necessary for life. The daily practice of these activities enhances the child’s ability to communicate with confidence, move with grace, and develop self-reliance.

As the child reaches 3 years, a transition to the Children’s House begins.