Toddler Program
When children become toddlers (at 18 months and until 3 years old), they really start claiming their own identities. Toddlers want opportunities to make their own choices and explore new things. They also want to express themselves through newly developed motor abilities, language skills, and accomplishing tasks on their own. These are some of the true signs of toddlerhood, and the Bethel Park toddler child care program is here to help your toddler learn, develop, and grow in a safe and supportive environment.
Parents of toddlers in the Bethel Park, South Park, Upper St. Clair, Castle Shannon, and Mt. Lebanon areas have trusted our toddler program for years because we celebrate this formative time in a child’s life. Our toddler teachers encourage students to express their individual personalities, and while we teach them to cooperate and become a part of the larger classroom group, we still support their distinct creativity and originality.
Toddler Child Care
Our Bethel Park Toddler Child Care Program allows toddlers to express their personalities. You can be assured we will never try to make a cookie cutter child out of them. We hire staff members that are trained to recognize the methods of learning that each child will respond to best. We want to teach the children to be part of a group, but we never want to stifle their individuality, or suppress their creative sides.
Our early learning program for our toddler program incorporates, a semi structured circle time where we introduce the toddlers to colors, shapes, numbers, their names, days of the week, months and year as well as fun.
Our Toddler room has been designed and decorated to appeal to Toddlers. We have decorated with bright colors and interesting child friendly decoration. The Toddler room is large enough to allow our toddlers ample room to explore and play as well as learn.
Brass Ring Learning Center’s Toddler Daycare Program is for children 18 months to 3 years old.
We have created an early learning experience that takes advantage of your Toddler’s natural curiosity and desire to learn.
Our Toddler Group will begin being introduced to more strucured early learning experiences.
They will be introduced to Pre Reading, Pre Math, and supported in their emerging language skills.
In order for us to support your Toddler’s desire to explore their world and have fun, we provide our Toddler Group with regular periods of Free Play and Outdoor Play (weather permitting).
Your Toddler will be given abundant opportunities to express their creativity through the introduction of many forms of Art, Painting, Coloring, Drawing and Music.
Your child will discover their medium to express their creative side.
Our toddler child care and early learning program is designed with the active child in mind.
Ages 24 months to 3 years.
One thing that is true about toddlers is that they are ready to learn about and explore everything. Toddlerhood is the age of discovery and wonder.
Our toddler child care staff know that the toddlers will try to touch everything, climb on anything they see, and they put most things in their mouths. These actions are not the actions of a child trying to get into trouble, they are the actions of a toddler exploring their world.
In our toddler child care program the children are given the opportunity to explore and discover the world around them. The staff of our toddler program not only assist the toddlers learn and explore the world around them they also play interactively with the toddlers and teach cooperation and sharing. The teacher of the toddler child care group introduces the children to new toys and games as well as songs and circle time.
The staff of our Toddler child care program will not discourage the toddlers from trying different ways of using toys or learning materials they have before them. This is a prime opportunity for them to learn why something has to be done a certain way.
Our Toddler group staff will even join the toddlers and try to stack blocks as high as they can, or try to put the square peg in the round hole. Interacting with the toddlers while they are using their own imaginations, and exploring other avenues gives the staff members the opportunity to instruct, and explain why something did not work.
Toddlers are very active learners and our staff maintains the level and complexity of activity best suited for each toddler. We have traditional learning time as well as plenty of play, art, reading and exploration. The toddler childcare staff plans daily lessons and activities that allow the toddlers to express who they are.
To ensure your toddler will be ready when the time comes to successfully move up to our preschool program, all toddlers in our Toddler Child Care program are evaluated. The toddler childcare staff and the Director utilize the Toddler Developmental Checklist. We use this to help us better see what areas the toddler needs more practice with.
Toddlers naturally want to interact with other children, and by placing them in groups, doing group activities, the staff of our toddler child care and early learning program can start to help them build social skills as well as verbal skills. We all know that all of the toddlers will not always get along. There will be times when one child does not get their way, or when one child does not want to share their toys. These moments give the staff the opportunity to gently instruct the toddlers how to handle such situations. The children learn what to do when they encounter a situation where another child is not wanting to share, or when they do not get to do what they want. They learn the socialization skills of compromise, and patience while they are playing with toys, and having fun.
Our toddler child care staff knows that tantrums are just the toddler’s way of expressing their emotions. Each tantrum provides a staff member the opportunity to help that child to learn to express the emotion they are feeling in another way, such as verbally. The staff can help the child learn to make their feelings known, and understood.
The transition from infancy to toddlerhood comes with it’s own set of rules. Toddlers are independent and curious about the world around them. At Brass Ring Learning Center our toddler childcare program has been designed to allow toddlers the ability to explore their surroundings and make independent choices.
This is also the time when children begin to build friendships. The staff of our Toddler Child Care program encourage the children to make friends, learn cooperation as well as begin to learn to share.
Our experienced toddler childcare staff members guide the toddlers through out their day with stimulating and fun activities. We have developed a Toddler Child Care Daily Activities Schedule that provides your toddler ample learning time as well as play time.
6:30 am to 8:00 am
Arrival – This is the time preschool child should arrive and prepare for their busy day. Children who arrive before 8:00 am eat breakfast and have free choice playtime with their peers.
8:00 am to 8:30 am
Cognitive Manipulative Learning Centers – Preschool Teachers provide puzzles, games and learning centers for children to explore and manipulate.
8:00 am to 8:30 am
Music and Movement – The preschool class will participate in music and movement activities. We encourage the children to express song voices and creative dance movements. We have found many budding musicians or ballet stars during this time.
9:00 am to 9:30 am
Reading Time – This is the time we move into the quieter activity of reading. The children are read to or given books to read. The themes of the books follow along with our weekly preschool learning theme.
9:30 am to 9:45 am
Snack Time – We provide your child with a light snack that can consist of cheese, crackers, fruits, pretzels, trail mix, yogurt, the occasional cookie etc. and a drink. Birthday treats are always welcome. We do have children with food allergies so the teachers are very conscientious to check labels before any snack is served.
9:45 am to 10:00 am
Circle Time – The time span for Circle Time is very flexible. If the children are working well and want to go beyond the time, teachers will continue presenting concepts to the preschool children. During this time your child will do the Pledge of Allegiance, calendar, Day, Date, Week, Month and Year. The children go over their Alphabet, Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Phonics and Sight Words. They will also discuss the letter of the week as well as color of the week and number of the week. The weekly theme is discussed. We sing songs and do finger plays as well as learn our home address and phone numbers. We present Circle Time twice daily, once in the morning and again in the afternoon.
10:00 am to 10:30 am
Lesson Time and Learning Centers – Your child’s teacher uses this time to present the lesson of the day to the children. This lesson follows our weekly theme and will encompass the usage of learning centers as well as the use of other learning materials. The lesson is designed to be creative and use math skills or science.
10:30 am to 11:00 am
Art Time – The preschool projects can be messy or simple but the children have a chance to express their inner Monet or Picasso!
11:00 am to 11:30 am
Gross Motor / Outdoor Play – This is the time we will go outside (weather permitting) and play games and run and jump or we will do large muscle preschool activities inside to promote coordination and growth. This time also gives the children a chance to blow off steam and shake the wiggles out.
11:30 am to 12:00 pm
Lunch Time – Lunch goes until all children have eaten. The 12:00pm finish time is hopeful but sometimes not practical. Children are given the opportunity to relax and enjoy their lunch. Teachers will assist any child needing help with their lunches. We will send home all unopened food. Due to health and safety issues, we do not save partially eaten items.
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Nap Time – Children assist the teachers with getting out their napping items. Teddy bears, binkies or special items for sleeping are always welcome. We play either classical music or a soothing sleepy time music selection. The children are supervised and may have backs rubbed or given a book to look at if they are not quite ready to nap.
3:30 pm to 3:45 pm
Snack Time – We provide your child with a light snack that can consist of cheese, crackers, fruits, pretzels, trail mix, yogurt, the occasional cookie etc. and a drink. Birthday treats are always welcome. We do have children with food allergies so the teachers are very conscientious to check labels before any snack is served.
3:45 pm to 4:00 pm
Circle Time – The time span for Circle Time is very flexible. If the children are working well and want to go beyond the time, teachers will continue presenting concepts to the children. During this time your child will do the Pledge of Allegiance, calendar, Day, Date, Week, Month and Year. The children go over their Alphabet, Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Phonics and Sight Words. They will also discuss the letter of the week as well as color of the week and number of the week. We sing songs and do finger plays as well as learn our home address and phone numbers. We present Circle Time twice daily, once in the morning and again in the afternoon.
4:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Learning Centers – The teachers will break the children into smaller groups and present learning centers to each group of children to share. The learning centers are broken into math concepts, pre reading concepts, writing concepts and science concepts.
4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Directed free play / Outside Time (Weather permitting) – The children use this time to blow off some steam and expel any excess energy. Children can choose to participate in any activity that is made available.
Thank you for your interest in our toddler program!
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Tips For Parents Of Toddlers
Toddlerhood is a time of wonder and exploration. Your baby is now becoming more independent and curious about everything around them. This is the time parents need to be one step ahead of their child all the time.
Be sure to toddler proof your home and remember toddlers are very active. If it looks like it might be fun or interesting a toddler will investigate it. Locks and latches will keep your toddler safe.
Keep all medicines, chemicals for cleaning or laundry detergents and softeners up high and/or locked up. If it smells good to a toddler they will try to eat it. If they see you take a pill then it must be okay for them to try them. Never trust that childproof caps will keep your toddler safe. Toddlers are resourceful and given enough time can figure a way to open the bottle.
Look at electrical outlets and cords and be sure to use outlet covers and keep cords out of reach. You can find many baby proofing products at just about any retail or hardware store.
Any blind cord that is of the loop type needs to be cut and made inaccessible. Far too many children, especially toddlers, have been found tangled in these types of cords.
Breakables should be either put up very high or just put away. Beloved antiques and treasure will likely not survive toddlerhood. Save yourself some heartache and put them away to come out again when they are safe.
Temper tantrums and biting begin to arise at this time. Toddlers are still learning to communicate with you and those around you. When they become frustrated they will react in the only ways they know how. When they do have a tantrum or bite, you the parent need to react quickly to stop it. You can simply say, “I know you are frustrated. Please use your words.” Then you can help them express their needs or feelings. If your toddler bites we have found that by tapping on the teeth and telling them “Biting hurts. We do not bite our (friends, family, dog, cat, brother, etc.)” This technique generally works well, but you will need to do it more than once. If your child continues to bite give them something they are allowed to bite. This can be a teething toy a washrag etc as long as they have something to help them get that frustration out.
Time outs are a good way to help your toddler to understand right actions from wrong action. Find a place out of the way but within your sightline, place the toddler in the chair, couch or wherever you have chosen. Explain why they are taking a time out. Toddlers need reminded. (The acceptable time for a time out is one minute per year of age.) After the time has passed, go back to the child and explain why they were in time out and make sure they understand why the behavior was not acceptable.
NEVER laugh at misbehavior no matter how hysterically funny it is. You will just reinforce that it is OK to misbehave. Firmly, yet calmly, let the toddler know that is wasn’t acceptable then walk away and laugh.
Do give your toddler ample opportunities to be a helper. They can help pack lunches, wipe off tables and help dust furniture. This is the time they want to learn and by allowing them to help you with tasks they are learning about their world.