At Families First, every child has the opportunity to:​

  • Participate in activities that are both quiet and active, teacher-directed and child-initiated, and indoor and outdoor using a variety of equipment and materials
  • Work and play in a safe, loving atmosphere with children of the same age, always under direct supervision
  • Establish positive and caring relationships with both adults and other children
  • Develop a curiosity for the world around them by asking questions, trying new ideas, providing input and feeling good about their efforts of response
  • Develop a positive self-esteem which allows independence in the pursuit of learning through problem-solving and the confidence to try things on their own
  • Challenge their physical and intellectual abilities

Welcome to the Toddlers!

Teacher/Child Ratio = 1:7
Age Range = 18-27 months

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Development areas

For the Toddler's, we focus on:

Physical Development

Large muscle – encouraging movement, climbing, sliding, ball play, riding toys, swings
Balance – providing obstacles, creative movements, and all of the above-mentioned objects
Small muscle – hand/eye coordination activities, cutting, pasting, large block play, bead stringing

Emotional Development

Self-esteem – positive reinforcement and encouraging self-exploration, discussion of feelings, storytime, dramatic play
Independence – providing choices encouraging self-motivation, self-help skills

Intellectual Development

Language – encouraging speech, conversations, show and tell, storytelling, reading
Cognitive – exploration, nature studies, matching through storytime, shapes and colors, books, puzzles
Creative – dramatic play, art activities, music activities

Social Development

Behavioral – separating children during disagreements and over activity. They cannot yet mediate themselves.
Communication – providing conversation skill development, sharing, listening, and communicating

Our General Schedule

The following is a general guideline to how your child will spend his/her day. Obviously, the child’s needs (diaper changes or bathroom breaks, for example) are taken into consideration.

Open to 8:30 a.m. = Arrival: Children participate in child-initiated activities and eat breakfast. Breakfast is served at 8:00. As children finish breakfast, they can visit learning centers or participate in individual or small-group activities until most children have arrived or are finished eating.  

8:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. = Group Time: Teacher brings the group together for morning routines, calendar, sharing, featured activity, literacy-building, and discussion of the day’s activities and themes.

9:25 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. = Learning Centers and Small-Group Activities: Children choose from activities in the creative arts, dramatic play, writing, library, blocks, manipulatives, math, science and sensory learning centers. Teachers implement small-group activities, focusing on skill-building activities and observational assessment.

10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. = Snack

10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. = Group Time: Children come together to listen to a daily read-aloud and/or to finish or repeat activities from the early morning group time.

10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. = Reflection Time 

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. = Outdoor Play: Children select from a variety of outdoor activities.

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. = Lunch: Children wash hands, help set the tables, and prepare and eat lunch.

12:15 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. = Group Time: Teachers read aloud to the children as they settle down for naps.

12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. = Rest Time and Quiet Work Time: Most children nap or rest quietly. As children wake from rest time, they can select from a variety of quiet choices, such as manipulatives, drawing and writing, books, or the listening center.

2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. = Learning Centers: Children choose from activities in the learning centers.

3 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. = Snack

3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. = Group Time: Children come together for an afternoon featured activity and closing routine.

3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. = Outdoor Play: Children select from a variety of outdoor activities.

4:15 p.m. to Close = Learning Centers or Small-Group Activities: Children select from a variety of activities that are easy to clean up, such as books, listening center, and manipulatives.