Pre – Toddler: Ages 1 – 2 years
Timings:
Mondays – Fridays
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
*Flexible option for an 8:00 am start for working parents and after school care.
The first three years of life are the most fundamental in a human’s development and their potential. An infant’s physical development progresses the most during this time, more than any other point in their life. In fact, 80% of a child’s brain is formed by age 3. Hence, the Pre-Toddler class is designed to provide a dynamic range of activities to help stimulate your child’s senses and unleash their innate curiosity while providing unique opportunities for holistic development – social, emotional, physical, cognitive, language and creative.
Social & Emotional Development:
At Kai, we understand that a smooth transition from home to school is crucial, and in response to this, we make sure that your child has a safe and hygienic learning environment for your child to explore and engage with warm and vibrant facilitators with whom they can develop secure relationships – a crucial foundation for learning and life-long happiness.
We have a clear plan to support both the child and parent with the transition and settling in process, while also helping to establish healthy routines. Becoming familiar with and comfortable in the school environment and teachers is always the first priority.
Once settled, the teachers plan for opportunities for your child to gain a sense of self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence and aspects of independence.
Our mixed age group setting also provides a smooth transition into the half day Toddler program once they are of age.
Physical Development:
Physical development at this age is evolving rapidly and our teachers prepare the environment and encourage both fine and gross motor skills. Specially curated materials or areas on our sprawling 2 acre campus, such as the sandpit, outdoor mound, infant climbing set or athletic track, provide a variety of opportunities for each child to explore and thrive in their physical development.
Furthermore, once your child is both physically and emotionally ready, we support in the potty training process to encourage independence and self-care. Our miniature toilets make this an easier and more pleasant process for your child.
Cognitive Development:
This area focuses on how a child constructs their thought processes; children will begin to gather, sort, and process information around them, using the data to develop perception and thinking skills. The areas of cognitive development include attention, remembering, information processing, problem solving, reasoning, decision-making and language development.
Age appropriate puzzles for remembering and problem solving begins to prepare the child for more advanced activities as they grow. Additionally, rolling cars down the outdoor play mound or watching bubbles and popping them, support concepts such as understanding cause and effect.
In line with the Montessori and IB philosophies, at Kai we follow the child, which allows time for him or her to process, repeat and master activities on their own, while also differentiating the activity according to the child’s individual pace.
Language Development:
This area is typically the most exciting for a parent of a 1 – 2 year old. As your child begins to speak and develop new vocabulary to express him or herself it brings joy to the parents to see their child’s progress.
At Kai, we provide each child a language rich environment which provides exposure to new sounds and vocabulary through exploration of their senses and new experiences. This provides children the important environment for their listening skills, comprehension and speech development.
Through the physical development of fine motor skills, Kai teachers are also mindful of the importance of these as pre-writing skills such as hand-eye coordination and developing the hand and finger muscles.
Creative Development:
The future for our children is yet to be seen. With several careers that don’t yet exsist, and areas such as technology continuously advancing, Kai ensures that each child’s innate creativity is nurtured and developed. This includes opportunities for making decisions and freedom of expression through exploration of art, dance, music and other learning experiences.
Additional Aspects of the Program:
Our standards follow a 1:6 student teacher ratio for this age group, along with a support staff helper. Kai strives to give each child the attention and support to grow, develop and achieve their milestones. We also believe in creating opportunities for our littlest ones to begin to develop life attributes, skills & values, such as curiosity, sharing, independence and listening skills.