Junior Toddler Program – 18 to 24 Months

The Pre-Casa Classroom consists of children approximately from 18 months to approximately 2 years of age.  Each toddler program has a 1:5 ratio, one teacher for every five children.

Cozy Time offer a warm and secure environment in which children can move and explore at their leisure. All the equipment in the Pre-Casa program is at a low standing level allowing the children to access and work independently.

In the Pre-Casa classroom, we focus on the immerging independence of the child.  The four areas of focus for development for the toddlers are Language and Speech Development, Social and Emotional Development, Gross and Fine Motor Development, and Self Help/ Independent skills.  Each of these areas will be focused on daily as teachers develop their lesson plans and programming. As toddlers develop these skills, we give them lots of opportunities to interact with peers and teachers on a more complex level with positive reinforcement and praise.

In the Pre-Casa classroom, we provide:

• Tabletop activities that promote a wide variety of skills (puzzles, play dough, messy play, painting, drawing with crayons and chalk)
• Free play to further develop social interactions and build on growing friendships (dress up, home corner, quiet area, dolls, and puppets etc.)
• Music and Movement promotes social interactions but also helps with physical development programs of both fine and gross motor skills
• Constructive and Manipulative play (gluing, beading, threading, straws)
• Floor activities (building blocks, animals, cars, trains, floor puzzles)
• Open-ended loose materials to promote creative thinking
• Outdoor play helps the children release any built- up energy in a positive way (all outdoor games and activities will be age appropriate and most importantly fun for all the children involved).

In the Pre-Casa Program, children are introduced to the Montessori method. Focusing on practical life and sensorial activities to begin. These activities will enhance the children’s self-worth, encourage self-help skills and promote independent thinking.  Our goals for the toddlers are to learn the basic concepts such as numbers, letters, colours and shapes in our classes. Our goals for the Pre-Casa students are to expand their vocabulary, teach the alphabet, learn to count, toilet train, and broaden their self-regulation skills while using discovery learning to support their growing independence.

Toys and materials will be rotated on a bi-weekly basis, depending on the theme of the month, so that children can explore a large variety of activities and always have interesting toys that capture their attention.