Ages: 18-months to 2 ½-years old
Capacity: 8 per classroom / 2 classrooms of 8
Child-to-Teacher Ratio: 4:1

Our Toddler Room is actually two separate classroom spaces, connected by a close-knit team of teachers and lots of time together on the playground.

The two Head Teachers in our Toddler Room are Sarah Barton and Krista Bartley. Sarah joined Peninsula's staff in April 2005; Krista joined us in April 2008. Both have Child Development Associate Credentials (CDAs).

Though the Toddler Room teachers and children spend time together at opening and closing, having two small groups of 8 children in the Toddler Room creates calmer, more familiar surroundings. This is the best way for a toddler to develop the language, social, and self-help skills needed to move on to preschool.

Toddlers need lots of support as they learn to talk and interact with other children and grown-ups in social situations. Our teachers ask toddlers to “use their words” to get across their needs and desires – with teachers and with other children. We also begin working on the sort of reading & writing skills best for toddlers, by providing the children with lots of books just for their age group. Toddlers can have books read to them, they can “read” books themselves, or they can play with books.

Working on motor skills is another important activity that takes place in the Toddler Room. Toddlers have plenty of opportunities to climb, run, slide, stretch, jump and use riding toys outdoors and indoors. Art projects and playing in the sensory table with water, sand, rice and paper scraps encourage children to practice using smaller finger and arm muscles with control and purpose.

“Me do it!” is encouraged in the Toddler Room. Children learn to wash hands, feed themselves, drink from open cups, scrape their plates into the compost bin after lunch, and many more things as they begin to learn self-care and self-control. Of course, teachers are always close by to support those first tries.

At age 2 ½, or whenever ready, children move to one of our Junior Rooms , where they build on the skills learned in the Toddler Room. Children also focus on potty-training in the Junior Room.