The Toddler Program at Montessori of Ladera Ranch is a specialized curriculum for children ages 24 to 36 months, serving as a preparatory program for the transition into a Montessori preschool. Children are exposed to Practical Life activities and the beginnings of the Sensorial materials which are appropriate for the emergent two-year-old. Water work, puzzles, maths activities, manipulatives, and language tasks round out the choices available during the daily work time. The concept of grace and courtesy is introduced and implemented during morning snack and lunchtime. Each month, the children explore a different Color of the Month, Book of the Month, and Song of the Month. The work activities, art projects, and circle time selections all reinforce the monthly curriculum. The ratio in the classroom is one-to-six; i.e., one teacher per six children, ensuring that children who have not yet had an academic experience will make a successful transition into a group care environment. Toilet training is also an important component of the Toddler Program and teachers work closely with parents to guarantee a painless progression to independent toileting.

The Montessori Method has been time-tested for over 100 years and has achieved success throughout the world.Each child is taught and assessed individually.The child’s natural development of language is utilized in the process of learning to read.The child has the unique opportunity to fulfill his potential. Habits and skills developed in a Montessori classroom remain for a lifetime. The Montessori Classroom is a land of opportunity for the child and he or she considers it a truly joyful place to be. The teacher’s role is to give personal attention. She will not interfere with a child’s exploration, but will be readily available if help is required. She models behavior taught in the classroom.

Preschool is an exciting time for a Montessori child. The Montessori curriculum is more advanced than most Pre-K programs. Children are introduced to basic geometry, geography, science, and other sophisticated concepts. They also begin to read, while pre-k students in many other programs are just learning to recognize letters and numbers. We provide intriguing learning materials that encourage engagement and a joy of learning. Students learn through hands-on experience, investigation, and research. They become actively engaged in their studies, rather than passive listeners.

Completion of the Montessori preschool and kindergarten program does not mark the end of the Montessori experience. In fact, it is a new beginning in the child’s learning potential. By age six, the child is ready to build upon the concrete learning pathways of preschool and move to the more abstract concepts in the elementary program. These new concepts include thinking about the big ideas of the universe. Students trace the timeline of all living things through geology, physical science and biology demonstrations, and experiments. These lessons provide a framework for our curriculum and carry a common theme that all living things have a cosmic role in life and are all interconnected. As humans, our job is to strive for our potential, carrying out our role, just as the sun does its best job to warm and protect us, or a plant does its job to provide oxygen and food. Stories, activities, and lessons continue to provide an important theme to the students. In time, they discover their potential and cosmic place. Helping children to see their importance on earth is a central theme. Once a child realizes his or her significance, everything else we do in class becomes easy and rewarding.