Since I opened my day care program I have gained a LOT of trial-by-fire experience in what works best for the developmental needs of infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children. There are so many wonderful things I get to experience with each age group! At the same time, it can be a struggle to balance the very different needs of each group, providing them each with the stimulation they need, without giving any less than 100% attention to all. This is challenging in a small home day care setting. For now, I am choosing to tailor my day care to children under the age of 4. By the time your kiddo is ready for a preschool curriculum, they have outgrown my program. (During the summer I do have temporary spots available for school age kiddos).

Toddlers are at an exciting time developmentally. They begin to show their personalities as they learn to communicate and socialize. They learn best through play and exploration. I focus on interaction with this age group. They need as much interaction with adults and other children their age as they can get so they can learn critical communication and social skills, and begin to develop confidence and resilience. So we don’t worry about lesson plans and activities that don’t hold their interest. If you are looking for a program with a structured curriculum, this one isn’t a good fit.

We LOVE to sing and dance, play outside, and try different sensory experiences. My goal for the toddlers in my care is to prepare them for a preschool setting. I think too often kids miss out on the carefree learning that comes before we ask them to stretch academically. Let kids be kids for a while! Let us be messy and silly. Let us focus on learning what we like, what boundaries are, and how to make and be good friends. Let kids be kids so that when it’s time for preschool we can be as ready as we are excited.