Junior Toddler (18mths to 2 yrs)

3 staff to 10 children

The Junior Toddler room is our 1.5 – 2.5 years old group. At this active age, children start to make sense of their world. The room features lovely open spaces both inside and out, and can have up to 10 children with three staff members. The room focuses on building skills to play and actively explore the environment. Children learn best through positive role modelling and often enjoy mimicking adults around them.

Self-help skills are encouraged in regards to eating, sleeping and drinking. This can be the first room in which children will progress from a sipper cup to a cup with a handle, take ownership when settling onto their bed for rest time, or begin toilet training.

The Junior Toddler room bases most of its ideas and direction for learning on child-initiated events and experiences. The room follows a reflective journal, which puts a focus on experiences the children enjoy most, which form the core of their program and are extended over time. Programming is done guided by the National Early Years Learning Framework.

Toilet Training

Here, children often begin the milestone of toilet training; reassuringly, staff work closely alongside families to ensure a plan is followed at home and within the room. This can sometimes be an uncertain experience for children, and best approached with care, sensitivity and respect. Each bathroom within the centre has children‘s toilets that are accessible to their height and physical abilities.

The first step is for children to become familiar with the bathroom, and often sitting them on the toilet at each nappy change can be a subtle introduction to the area. Staff will always respect each family‘s values and beliefs in this area of development, and can also offer guidance and support in starting and continuing the process.