Toddler Program
With our exclusive STEM-focused Early Childhood Education, your toddler will have the opportunity to start preparing for Preschool while exploring critical developmental milestones. Our toddler program utilizes hands-on exploration, communication, and social interaction with an engaging approach to help one to two year olds learn about the world around them. With the support of our early childhood development professionals, STEM Child Care fosters self-confidence and an enthusiasm for learning that is sure to encourage your child’s independence as well as the acquisition of necessary social skills in a fun environment.
We employ a consistent daily structure that includes planned quiet activities, lively music, and plenty of outdoor playtime for exercise. We encourage imaginary play using blocks, puzzles, and art supplies, and also include circle time with books, stories, and songs to promote the development of language and social skills. In this way, our teachers strengthen and refine your child’s gross as well as fine motor skills using carefully planned activities tailored to each child’s individual needs and progress.
Our curriculum for toddlers includes lessons that focus on building science, technology, engineering, mathematics, language, and art skills to enable them to develop a passion for learning from an early age.
Science
Our science program for toddlers builds upon their innate sense of curiosity along with their desire to make sense of the world around them. By introducing them to scientific thinking through investigation and inquiry, our teachers incorporate scientific learning into all aspects of the toddlers’ days by employing meaningful teaching experiences that emphasize “why? what? how?” questions as well as experimentation with puzzles, playdough, and volume using sensory tables.
Technology
We incorporate technology learning tools into our toddler program in conjunction with traditional learning tools such as art materials, writing materials, play materials, and books. This exposure to technology provides toddlers with an opportunity for curiosity and creativity while learning language, counting, and pattern recognition as well as developing both fine and gross motor skills.
Research shows that unstructured playtime is essential for toddlers since they learn more effectively through interactions with the real world than through media use at such a young age. We foster hands-on exploration and social interaction in order to develop our toddlers’ cognitive, language, and emotional skills.
Engineering
Toddlers can explore early engineering skills by building models and designing structures. To support our children’s engineering skills, we encourage them to describe and draw the building structures they see outside and around their neighborhood, including how they look, what kinds of materials, tools, or machines they were likely built with. We also start to engage toddlers with the concepts of gravity, acceleration, and momentum by building and experimenting with ramps, testing how fast objects of different sizes and materials move down the slope.
Mathematics
Within our toddler curriculum, we emphasize building an understanding of mathematics through enjoyable activities that focus on developing a grasp of the rudimentary principles that guide math comprehension. For instance, your toddler will be exposed to sorting and matching games, “number talk,” discussing time in daily conversations, and comparisons of quantity and volume.
Language
Language skills start to emerge as toddlers expand their vocabulary from single to multiple-word phrases. As a result, our teachers routinely model language by engaging toddlers in rich conversations; by providing a language-rich environment, your toddler will be afforded the opportunity to progress toward two-way communication with teachers and peers.
Arts
We offer art lessons for toddlers to encourage creativity and innovation in our students. By participating our arts program, toddlers are given the opportunity to develop creative solutions while simultaneously boosting their progress in other areas such as literacy, science, and math. They will experiment with colors and sensory materials (soft clay, sponges, scented paint), play with various instruments, and engage in both dance and pretend play.