toddler.
For children ages 16 months to 2.5 years (ages vary by campus)
A Guidepost toddler community is designed for the boundless energy and intense need for independence that are the signature features of toddlerhood.
Rather than distracting toddlers from the real-world activities they’re most interested in and telling them they can’t, we provide every child with the intentional classroom environment, the tools, and the freedom they need so that they can. We give them the chance to actively build self-control and feel their own importance and value in caring for themselves and others.
features of guidepost’s
toddler program:
Blossoming communication, coordination, & problem-solving.
Every toddler classroom is equipped with sophisticated learning materials designed to capture a toddler’s interest and impart core skills such as problem-solving, attention to detail, and fine motor control.
Along with books, songs, and conversations, toddlers play fun ‘language games’ with their guides (teachers) to build a rich vocabulary and awareness of letter sounds that are both vital for fluent reading later on.
Peaceful, child-led toilet learning.
Montessori toilet learning is the peaceful, child-respecting alternative to potty training. Instead of bribes or rewards, we realize that using the bathroom independently is a type of learning, requiring an intentional method of education.
Guides observe each child closely for signs of readiness, collaborate closely with parents to create routines that make using the toilet familiar and appealing, and support children in practicing each key component skill—from recognizing the need to go, to pulling underwear up and down, to washing hands—and then putting them all together to achieve this important category of independence.
Self-esteem through increased independence.
Toddlers develop cognition, coordination, and executive functioning through engaging in basic activities of life. You can’t fool a child—they know if they are “really” doing it or not. This is why they are so drawn to doing real, adult activities—from preparing food, to washing a window, to watering plants, or simply putting on their own shoes.
At Guidepost, we recognize this deep developmental need by offering child-sized tools and real opportunities to engage in real life activities. Everything starts here! From fine-motor control to logical thinking to self-esteem.
Socializing in a close-knit community.
Guides help children learn positive social interactions by modeling respectful communication and providing lessons in ‘Grace and Courtesy’. To behave with “Grace and Courtesy” is to behave with respect for others, respect for the shared classroom environment, and respect for yourself. We patiently model and practice each concrete behavior that we want to see, from how to walk slowly and carry things carefully, to respectfully waiting your turn, to polite greetings, to appropriate meal time interactions, to offering and accepting/declining invitations to play.
Rather than constantly correcting a child’s behavior from a negative perspective, Guides capitalize on the child’s delight in imitation by showing them what to do and patiently practicing, as they build each concrete skill into their habits and character.
at guidepost montessori, we believe every child is tremendously capable.
But what’s even better, the children believe it too.
Every child at Guidepost Montessori knows they can accomplish real things and engage in real learning. Not because someone tells them so, but because they choose it, experience it, and succeed at it every single day.