We focus on four Developmental Areas

Social/Emotional:  Toddlers learn about self and others

·      Trusts known, caring adults

·      Regulates own feelings

·      Manages own feelings

·      Plays with other children

·      Uses personal skills

·      Learns to be a member of a group

Physical: Toddlers learn about moving

·      Demonstrates basic gross motor skills

·      Demonstrates basic fine motor skills

Cognitive: Toddlers learn about the world

·      Sustains attention

·      Shows a beginning of understand cause and effect

·      Use problem solving strategies

·      Engages in pretend play

Language: Toddlers learn about communicating

·      Develops recessive and expressive language

·      Participates in conversations

·      Enjoys books and being read to

·      Shows awareness in pictures and print

·      Experiments with drawing and writing

·      An adequate supply of diapers, wipes, and ointments. We will notify you when these supplies are running low.

·      2 fitted regular size crib sheets and blankets for your child’s nap mat. These items will be in your child’s nap bag in the classroom. We will send one set of bedding home at the end of the week to be laundered.

·      One or two sippy cups will be used for water and milk. We wash the cups between each use. The cups will be sent home at the end of the week to be cleaned and brought back.

·      3 sets of extra seasonally appropriate clothing. Please place clothing in a large Ziploc bag, labeled with your child’s name. Please label the clothing as well.

·      We go on many outside adventures. DHS requires all children 6 months old and older to have Sunscreen LOTION only with SPF 30 or higher. Please make sure to label your child’s sunscreen! Spray sunscreen or sunscreen containing dyes are not permitted.

·      A family picture collage. Children love looking at their families in pictures. A scrapbook page of pictures with your family, some family adventures, pets, etc. are exciting for the Toddlers to enjoy throughout the day. This is also a great way to calm a child during drop-off. We encourage the child to look at this collage for comfort. And, they are lovely decorations for our classroom.

·      4” three-ring binder—FOR NEW FAMILIES ONLY. This will be your child’s portfolio. It will contain a collection of teacher observations and child’s work samples to document their progress in all developmental areas. This portfolio will follow your child as he/she moves to other classrooms.

Shoes for children are required once your child is walking. please provide shoes for them for when our class goes outside or out of the classroom.

TEACHERS EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTS

Please be flexible. Too many rules can confuse a Toddler. As caregivers and teachers, we need rules to keep us on track for caring for the Toddlers. The rules we make for ourselves are as follows:

·      Plan Ahead: Planning ahead keeps us on schedule. It also provides clarity to our plans

                       and keeps us prepared.

·      Be Observant: We will note changes of your child’s moods and actions.

·      Be Consistent: When addressing the children we will be consistent in our actions and words.

·      Be Patient: We will not rush an activity, this can lead to resistance, upset, and frustration.

·      Be Pro-Active: Transition times are “down times” which can cause struggles. We will use songs and finger plays during transition times (snacks/lunch/diaper changes).

·      Give the Toddlers advance notice before transitioning to another activity.

·      Give the Toddlers choices. This gives time for exploration, curiosity, and independence.

·      Be Happy! Patience and kindness are best when working with Toddlers.

TEACHERS EXPECTATIONS FROM PARENTS

·      Communicate: Help us build a strong partnership with you by communicating with us information regarding your child.

·      Build: A strong partnership with the teachers in the classroom helps everyone provide what is best for your child.

·      Read: Daily Reports and Lillio messages help you and us stay informed about your child, their well-being, and what’s happening in our classroom.

·      Work: Working closely with each other (parents & teachers), we can experience your child’s milestones, accomplishments, and struggles (and how to meet those needs).

·      Share: Please share what your child shares about their day at The Children’s Garden. The drive home is a perfect opportunity to communication skills with your Toddler. Talk about their day, ask questions, and remember to share those moments with us. They are important!!

Breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack are provided by The Children’s Garden. If your child arrives prior to our breakfast time, you are welcome to bring in breakfast for your child.

If you have a picky eater or your child is still being introduced to new foods, you are welcome to provide food from home. We are a nut-free Center so read the labels carefully. We do not force children to eat; however, we do encourage them to taste foods. We give a little bit of every food item prepared to each child. This is to get them comfortable with eating a variety of foods (except for children with food allergies or religious/cultural preferences).

The children in the Transitional Older Toddler classroom begin napping immediately following lunch and diaper changes around 12:30. Nap time typically ends between 2:45 and 3:00. A “toddler-sized” mat is provided for each child labeled with a number for identification purposes. Nap time can be a difficult transition for some children. We make every effort to make this transition a positive and soothing experience. We provide soft “nap” music and a semi-dark classroom for nap time comfort. If a child has difficulty falling asleep, a teacher will sit beside the child and gently pat the child to sleep. Some children feel more at ease when they have a favorite stuffy to cuddle. We encourage bringing in a soft “nap buddy” for your child if needed. Each child will have will have a “nap” bag to store their nap items.

Transitions can be an emotional challenge for Toddlers. Whether it is a transition from one room to another, drop off, or transitioning from one activity to another, our goal is to make these transitions comfortable for your child. We try different approaches with a variety of activities for transitions:

·      Singing: Music/Singing/Dancing makes transitions smoother for the Toddlers. They love music!

·      Reading or Narrating Stories

      ▪ Story Boxes

      ▪ Felt Board Stories

·      Age-Appropriate Art

     ▪  Various Mediums

     ▪  Variety of Techniques

·      Fine Motor Activities

     ▪  Puzzles

     ▪  Lacing

     ▪  Shape Sorting

·      Gross Motor Activities

     ▪ Obstacle Course

     ▪  Play Yard

     ▪  Walks

     ▪  Traveling and Balancing Games

·      Routine: Keeping a daily routine helps Toddlers predict what’s next.

·      Singing: Music/Singing makes transitions smoother for the Toddlers. They love music!

·      Counting: Counting from 1-10 gives Toddlers a timeframe for transitions.

·      Alerts: Alerting the Toddlers that one activity is ending and something else is beginning creates stability during transitions.

·      A Moment Away: Teacher may take a child who is having difficulty during transition times out of the room for a quick moment away to provide comfort to the child. This “moment away” may be five minutes or so to help settle the child.

Messy Center:  Messy play builds foundational skills crucial for children’s later development. Messy play is the open-ended exploration of materials and their properties. It allows children to use their natural curiosity and engage their sense at the developmental level appropriate for them. They learn foundational cognitive principals as they exercise motor, language, and social skills. Most toddlers enjoy sensory, art, and exploration activities. This sometimes means getting down and messy! Although we wear paint shirts, it doesn’t make the activities 100% mess proof. We do our best to keep the children’s clothing from getting messy, however, this is sometime unavoidable. Please keep this in mind as you dress your child for the day. Clothing that is comfortable, washable, and replaceable is recommended. Remember, the messier children get, the more fun they are having. And they are making memories that will outlast the clothing!

·   Art

·   Sensory Exploration

·   Water Play

·   Nature Exploration

Active Center: Active play includes any activity that involves moderate to vigorous bursts of high energy. Put simply, if it raises the children’s heart rate and makes them “huff and puff, it’s active play.

·   Toss balls in a basket

·   Follow the Leader

·   Obstacle Courses

·   Freeze Dance

Quiet Center: Quiet time for toddlers has huge benefits for their developing brain. Quiet time is a part of their day when they get a break from sights, sounds, and other stimulating activities. They may nap during this time or simply play alone quietly.

·   Puzzles

·   Coloring

·   Listening Time (Audio Books, Classical Music)

·   Looking at Picture Books

You are welcome to bring a diaper bag for your child’s daily belongings. We are required by DHS to ensure the bag is free from all hazardous and/or dangerous items. Medications, diaper creams, sunscreens, and food are prohibited from being stored in the diaper bag. Please let the teachers know at drop-off if any of the listed items are in the diaper back so we can remove them and properly store them. We have reusable bags available for you to place your child’s belongings in for the day.

Please remember to label your child’s items. This includes blankets, clothing (including coats, hats, etc.), cups/snack containers, pacifiers, any food, or drink items. Please label packs of diapers and wipes as well. Check out inchbug.com labeling supplies.

• Step by step of how the staff of The Children’s Garden are required to change all children who are in diapers and potty training. Source: Caring for our Children, 3rd Edition

•  

• ·      Cover surface with disposable paper. Remove from containers and place on diapering surface away from child’s reach: wipes, clean diaper, dab of cream on facial tissue, plastic bag for soiled clothes. Put on gloves.

• ·      Place child on diapering surface. Always keep a hand on the child.

• ·      Remove bottom clothing including shoes and socks if feet cannot be kept from contacting soiled skin or surfaces. (If clothing is soiled, remove and place in plastic bag).

• ·      Unfasten diaper but keep soiled diaper under child’s bottom.

• ·      Lift child’s leg and clean skin from front to back. Use fresh wipe each time.

• ·      Put soiled wipes and soiled diaper directly into a hands-free plastic lined can.

• ·      If paper is soiled, use corner to fold clean side of paper back under child’s clean bottom.

• ·      Remove gloves. Dispose in hands-free can.

• ·      Use separate fresh wipes on adult’s hands and child’s hands. Dispose in hands-free can.

• ·      Put clean diaper under child’s bottom. If using cream, apply with facial tissue with glove, then discard in hands-free can.

• ·      Fasten diaper and dress child.

• ·      Wash child’s hands with soap and water.

• ·      Return child to supervised area.

• ·      Dispose of changing table paper. Clean, rinse, and disinfect diaper changing area. Leave disinfectant on surface for required contact time.

• ·      Wash your hands.

• ·      Record on Daily Report for family: Time of diaper change, diaper contents, any problems such as loose stool, skin irritation, etc.

• Potty Training

• When moving to the Older Toddler classroom, potty training is always a concern. Many parents want to know when a good time to begin potty training is. We firmly believe parents know their child better than anyone else. Potty training is a partnership between home and school. While it may be easier at school (since they see other children potty training), we want the process to begin at home. When this happens, we will begin to take your child to the potty and begin the process at school. We do not force a child to sit or go on the potty. They should “want” to use the potty. Please note, it begins at home; if your child is not using the potty at home, we will not force them to use the potty at school.

Despite our best-efforts toddlers do get bit and hurt. Due to their age and developmental factors toddlers are prone to injuries like bumps, bruises, bites. Bumps and bruises often occur as the children are exploring different ways to move their bodies.

Biting is age-appropriate for toddlers. They are in the “mine” developmental stage and due to their emotional regulation skills, and the lack of verbal communication biting is the alternative skill. Again, the teachers strive to prevent biting (watching closely when children are in proximity of each other with one toy, monitoring a potential biter, and providing additional support when needed). However, with these measures, sometimes a child gets bitten. We work with the children and families involved to help alleviate the biting. As with all incidents (biting/injury), we provide basic first-aid, TLC, and a phone call to the parent of the child that bit and the parent of the child who was bitten. An incident report will be given to the parent at pick-up for a signature. The parent will receive a copy of the incident report.