Caterpillars (Age 1)

Philosophy- Our young New Cumberland toddler day care program has been established to provide quality experiences for children from twelve months to twenty four months of age. It is our goal to promote self-esteem, social-emotional well being, creativity, self-care skills, physical growth and basic learning concepts. We dedicate ourselves to meeting each child’s individual developmental needs in a warm and loving environment.

Our Early Toddler Curriculum Includes:

Circle Time- This is usually the first activity of every day. The teachers focus on picture word association and vocabulary building. The group also reads books, sings songs and finger-plays. Circle time aids in the expansion of beginning social skills such as sharing, manners, cooperation and respect. Sign language is introduced and practiced to foster communication.

Art & Creative Play- This is the part of the day where children are encouraged through opportunities of imaginative role playing, availability of a variety of stimulating materials and frequent exposure to various art materials. Examples of these activities are painting, manipulation (play-dough, clay) tearing and folding.

Games & Movement- Music is used in order to allow the children to imitate movement such as walking backwards, moving arms, turning and bending. Gross motor skills will also be exercised to develop better balance and coordination.

Readiness- The toddlers are exposed to basic skills fostering vocabulary through counting, colors, body parts, and naming objects.

Free Play- At this time the children are given a choice of toys to play with. The children learn to explore and investigate their surroundings. They enhance their fine motor skills by stacking blocks, pushing toys or taking toys apart.

Story Time- Each child’s vocabulary is expanded as objects are named and books are viewed. These stories read related to the weekly themes that are planned.

Children are observed daily by their teachers for growth in all areas. Authentic assessments are completed in October, January and May to give both staff and parents a clear look at how their child is developing at our child day care center. Conferences are offered to discuss growth, areas of strength and areas needing more practice.