Toddler Program
The toddler years are one of the most exciting and misunderstood periods in child development. Big feelings, big discoveries, and the beginning of who your child is going to be. Here is how we support all of it at Countryside.
About This Program
The Age of Discovery
"Toddlers are not being difficult. They are being exactly what they are supposed to be: curious, independent, and learning how the world works one experiment at a time."
Between twelve months and two years, your child's brain is undergoing a transformation unlike anything else in human development. Language is exploding. Physical ability is leaping forward. And for the first time, your child is beginning to understand themselves as a separate, independent person with their own wants, preferences, and will.
That independence is not defiance. It is development. At Countryside, our toddler program is built around this reality. We create environments where toddlers can move, explore, make choices, and test limits safely, because that is exactly how toddler brains learn.
Our teachers understand toddler development deeply. They know how to redirect without shutting down, how to support without hovering, and how to turn everyday moments into rich learning experiences.
What We Focus On
Toddlers go from a handful of words to full sentences in this window. We talk, read, sing, and narrate constantly, giving children the words they need to express themselves and connect with others.
Learning to feed themselves, put on shoes, tidy up, and make simple choices. These are not small things. Self-help skills build confidence, capability, and the foundation for lifelong autonomy.
Toddlers feel everything intensely and have almost no tools yet to manage those feelings. We teach them the language of emotions, model calm responses, and help them begin to regulate without shame.
Running, climbing, jumping, stacking, scribbling, and pouring. Gross and fine motor development happens rapidly at this age and we build our environment and daily schedule around supporting it.
Parallel play, sharing, turn-taking, and noticing other children's feelings. Toddlers are just beginning to understand that other people exist as separate beings with their own needs. We guide this gently and without pressure.
How Toddlers Develop
What Is Happening in Your Toddler's Brain
The toddler years look chaotic from the outside. From the inside, they are extraordinarily purposeful. Here is a look at the three phases of toddler development and why everything your child does during this time is actually exactly right.
Your child has just discovered they can move through the world on their own two feet, and everything changes. They are driven to practice walking constantly, climb anything climbable, and touch everything in reach. They are also beginning to point, wave, follow simple instructions, and say their first real words. Every new word is a milestone worth celebrating.
The word "no" is not defiance. It is the first expression of selfhood. Your toddler has discovered they are a separate person with their own preferences and power, and they are testing this discovery with everything they have. This is healthy. Tantrums are not bad behavior. They are the result of enormous feelings colliding with almost no ability to manage or express them. Our job is to stay calm, stay kind, and help them through.
Around two, something remarkable happens. Your child begins to notice other children as real people, not just interesting objects. They start watching, imitating, and eventually playing alongside peers. Language is growing rapidly now, sometimes adding a new word every single day. Pretend play begins to emerge. Your toddler is becoming a person you can have a real conversation with, and it happens faster than you expect.
What We Do Every Day
Our Practices in the Toddler Room
Every part of the toddler day is intentional. Here is what your child experiences with us and why each piece matters for their development.
We read to toddlers multiple times a day, individually and in small groups. Language development at this age is explosive and every book, every story, every repeated reading of a favourite adds thousands of words to their developing vocabulary.
Blocks, sensory bins, art materials, and loose parts that do not have one right answer. Open-ended play builds creativity, problem solving, concentration, and the ability to entertain oneself. These are skills that follow a child for life.
Songs, fingerplays, dancing, and rhythm activities run through the entire day. Music builds language, memory, coordination, and emotional expression simultaneously. Toddlers absorb it naturally and love it deeply.
When a toddler melts down, our teachers name what they see, stay calm, and help the child find their way back. "You are so frustrated. You wanted that toy and it was taken. That feels really hard." This teaches children that their feelings make sense and can be managed.
We let toddlers do things themselves, even when it takes longer. Putting on their own shoes, scooping their own snack, cleaning up their own space. The goal is not efficiency. The goal is a child who believes they are capable.
You will hear about what your child explored, how they ate, how they napped, any new words they said, any challenging moments and how we handled them. We believe parents deserve to feel connected to their child's day, not surprised by it at pickup.
What to Expect
What Your First Weeks Look Like
Starting a new program is a transition for the whole family. Toddlers feel changes in routine deeply, and separation can be hard. Here is how we make the adjustment as smooth as possible for your child and for you.
We recommend starting with shorter days for the first week and gradually extending as your child settles in. There is no rush. Every toddler adjusts on their own timeline and we work with yours, not against it.
A favourite stuffed animal, a family photo, a small piece of home. We encourage toddlers to bring something familiar during the adjustment period. It is not a crutch. It is a bridge, and it works.
We ask parents to make goodbyes confident and brief. A special hug, a phrase you always use, and then a clean exit. Toddlers read our emotions and a confident goodbye communicates that this place is safe. We will always call if your child truly cannot settle.
If your child had a hard day, we will tell you. If they hit another child, we will tell you. If they cried for twenty minutes after drop-off and then had a wonderful morning, we will tell you that too. You always get the full picture.
"The toddler years can feel overwhelming from the outside. Inside our classrooms, they are full of joy, discovery, and moments that take your breath away."
Questions Parents Ask
Things Toddler Families Often Want to Know
Come See What a Great Toddler Day Looks Like
The best way to understand our toddler program is to come in and see it in action. Watch the children, meet the teachers, ask us anything. We would love to show you around.
Schedule a Visit