Frequently Asked Questions
When will my child be ready for the Toddler Community?
The main signs that we look for are a child's ability to walk steadily and independently, take one afternoon nap a day, and drink out of a glass. Once these milestones have been met, they are ready to be introduced into the toddler environment. If your child is not yet ready for the toddler environment, please ask about our Parent-Infant Program which prepares children for transition into our toddler community.
What Happens at Nap Time?
In the Montessori classroom, consistency is everything. This is especially true during nap time. We begin nap time after lunch and after the children spend some time being physically active. When it is time to rest, we play quiet music and draw the curtains. Each child uses the bathroom and lays down to rest in their own cot. One of the goals for your child in a Montessori environment is to become independent. For this reason, we ask you to keep pacifiers and lovies at home. If your child uses a lovie to nap, we will work with you to gradually transition them out of using it.
Children rest in a relaxing environment.
Children in both toddler and primary classrooms eat their meals at the table with a full table setting.
How does lunch time work?
Lunch is included in the Extended and Full Day Tuition for the toddler program. Primary students are welcome to bring their lunches or bring a sack lunch. With support and training from the guide and assistant, the toddlers will learn to set their place at the table, pour their own milk, clean their space once they are finished, and wash their own plates and silverware. Of course, the children share the meal together at a child-sized table.
Will the children have snack time?
Children regularly participate in food preparation for snack time, including peeling and slicing bananas, juicing oranges, peeling clementines, peeling and slicing hard-boiled eggs, and baking. In the morning, children can access certain snacks as desired. They prepare the food and clean up afterwards. In the afternoon, we prepare and enjoy snacks together. To contribute to snack time, each family is asked to bring groceries for the classroom 2-3 times each year. This is a great opportunity to involve your child in the process of picking out the groceries so they may provide delicious and healthy choices for themselves and their friends. See the snack list here.
Preparing snacks offer a dual reward of refining practical life skills and nourishing oneself.
This young toddler, 18 months old, is in the early stages of toilet training.
How do we approach toilet training?
Once a child begins walking steadily, we recommend they wear cloth training pants which they can pull up and down independently. We will have them sit on the toilet for very short periods of time at regular intervals throughout the day. This serves two purposes. The first is that it allows them to begin on a path of independent toileting. Second, it allows them to experience and feel bodily functions that help connect what they are feeling with sitting on the toilet. When this is consistently done both in the classroom and at home, it generally results in children becoming toilet trained much faster.
What should my child bring with to school?
It is very important that children come to school dressed in comfortable clothes and shoes they can put on independently. We ask that clothes are weather-appropriate and can accommodate indoor and outdoor activities. Also, clothes may become dirty, as we are active in the classroom using paint, cooking, and eating with utensils. You will be given a full supply list that details which items your child should bring each day, which items will be left at school, and which to leave at home.
When it is cold outdoors, we dress for success!
New skills are built when a child learns to be outdoors in the snow.
Do the children go outdoors in the winter?
Yes! Young children need physical activity and time outdoors year-round. To ensure your child is well-prepared, we will ask you to send them with winter-appropriate clothes each day in the winter. Items like snow pants can stay at the school. Boots and layers are essential! On the coldest days, we will monitor the temperature and will not go outside if it gets to be below 32 degrees.
