Toddler rooms (18months-3years)

In the Green Room, toddlers are welcomed as capable, curious, and social learners. Here, they explore their environment, develop self-help skills, begin toilet learning, and build meaningful relationships with peers, educators, and the world around them.

Our classrooms maintain a 1:6 educator-to-child ratio, with a maximum of 17 children. While licensed for ages 18 months–3 years, we aim to group children within a 6-month age range to support developmentally appropriate experiences.

“If it hasn’t been in the hand… and in the body… it can’t be in the brain.” – Bev Boss

We cultivate a thoughtfully prepared, inclusive, and stimulating environment, reflecting Reggio Emilia principles and the Nova Scotia Early Learning Curriculum Framework (NSELCF). Children learn through exploration, play, and relationships, developing skills that align with the NSELCF goals of Well-being, Discovery & Invention, Language & Communication, and Personal & Social Responsibility.

Toddler Learning & Development:

Belonging & Well-being: forming secure relationships with educators and peers, feeling safe, supported, and valued
Social & Emotional Growth: empathy, confidence, problem-solving, cooperation, and resilience through guided interactions and responsive care (Handle with Care, Circle of Security)
Communication & Literacy: expanding vocabulary and sentence structure, enjoying books, rhymes, and repetition, and beginning to express ideas and feelings
Exploration & Discovery: parallel play, partner play, imaginative and safe “risky” play, hands-on sensory experiences, and interaction with the natural environment
Independence & Agency: feeding, drinking, dressing, undressing, and early toilet learning within supportive routines
Creative Expression: experimenting with art materials, paint, crayons, markers, and textures such as shaving cream, slime, and food
Early Math & Problem Solving: shape sorters, puzzles, counting, patterns, and reasoning, discovered through play and interaction
Child-Led Inquiry: activities and experiences are inspired by children’s curiosities and interests, promoting engagement, critical thinking, and co-construction of knowledge

Daily Schedule (flexible to children’s cues):

7:30–9:30 – Arrival & free play (exploration, relationships)
9:00–9:30 – Snack (social interaction, independence)
10:00–12:00 – Activities & outings (inquiry, discovery, play-based learning)
12:00–12:45 – Lunch (community, conversation, self-help skills)
1:00–3:00 – Rest time (well-being, security, rhythm)
3:00–3:30 – Snack (transition, choice, autonomy)
3:30–5:30 – Activities, backyard play, pick-up (creativity, exploration, relationships)

In the Green Room, toddlers grow confidently, curiously, and creatively, supported by educators who observe, document, and co-create learning experiences with the children. The program encourages agency, relationships, and exploration, helping each child thrive in alignment with the Nova Scotia Early Learning Curriculum Framework and Reggio-inspired practices.