Toddler Program

Key Developmental Milestones For Toddlers

As your toddler grows and matures towards becoming their own person, certain developmental milestones mark the passage of time. Hitting these specific milestones means that your toddler is progressing towards being ready for more organized schooling and interacting with more people outside of the immediate family.

With the right toddler care resources, you can start preparing your child to reach these critical developmental milestones!

Cognitive Development In Children

Ensuring that their children’s cognitive development stays on pace remains an important concern for parents. Engaging with their toddlers in a safe and stimulating environment encourages them to explore their surroundings and approach different problems from their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Toddler cognitive development remains a crucial milestone in your toddler’s young life. It means they are getting closer to participating in organized schooling with their peers, solving more complex problems, and thinking about their surroundings and place in the world.

Language Development In Toddlers

A key component of toddler care is encouraging ongoing language development in children. The ability to communicate their wants and needs verbally is a skill that your toddler can develop in their early years. Helping them further develop children’s language skills will help them relate to the people around them and improve their ongoing communication and social skills development. Our team encourages language development in children by talking to them every day, reading with them, and developing these skills in an active situation. One of the most effective ways to encourage ongoing language development in toddlers and children remains interacting with them on a personal level.

Motor Development In Children

Motor development in children helps them move effectively through their surroundings, play with toys, and improve their overall coordination. Our Philadelphia-area toddler care centers can help your little ones hone the fine and gross motor skills they will need for the rest of their lives. Our staff has experience working with toddlers to help them in crucial motor development areas, letting them continue to grow to their full potential.

Sensory Development In Children

Our senses help us better understand and interact with the world around us, and learning how to interpret these stimuli is an integral part of sensory development in children. Helping them learn how to process input from the five senses helps them feel less overwhelmed by sensory overload. Finding ways to help them take the information from their surroundings and process it effectively is an important skill for their entire lives. Our experienced staff can help your toddler learn how to better cope with these stimuli and effectively respond to their surroundings.

Social Skills In Toddlers

Our toddler care program aims to provide your child with chances to improve their social skill development. Allowing them to interact with people from outside the immediate family at a young age helps them be more comfortable in increasingly social situations. Improving social skills in toddlers remains one of the most important parts of their ongoing development.

Finding ways to improve social skills in toddlers has become a crucial part of our programs. Through co-play, supervised interactions, and simply being around other people and children their age, your toddler will be better equipped to engage in an organized school environment.

What You’ll See in Our Toddler Classroom

Step inside our classroom for toddlers, and you’ll find a vibrant, engaging space created with little explorers in mind. It’s a place humming with gentle activity, where children move freely between different learning centers, interacting with materials and each other. Everything is thoughtfully arranged from a toddler’s perspective, promoting independence and making discovery easily accessible within a carefully prepared learning environment.

Caring and Qualified Staff

Our teachers represent the heart of our toddler program, bringing warmth, expertise, and passion to the classroom every day. Your child will form meaningful bonds with educators who truly see them as individuals and recognize their unique strengths, interests, and needs. Each member of our teaching team also receives specialized training in early childhood education with a particular focus on toddler development and learning styles. They understand the unique challenges and joys of working with toddlers and remain patient through big emotions, developmental milestones, and the wonderful messiness of toddler learning.

Moreover, our staff maintains low teacher-to-child ratios throughout the day, creating space for plenty of one-on-one interactions and personalized attention. This individualized approach allows teachers to support each child’s specific developmental journey while fostering a sense of belonging within our classroom community.

Health, Safety, and Cleanliness

Your child’s well-being is our absolute top priority, underpinning everything we do within our toddler program. We maintain rigorous health, safety, and cleanliness standards to provide a secure and hygienic learning environment for everyone. Our classrooms and shared spaces undergo frequent cleaning and sanitizing routines throughout the day, focusing particularly on high-touch surfaces, toys, and areas used for food preparation. Staff members also follow strict health protocols, including regular handwashing and monitoring children for any signs of illness, helping keep our community healthy.

Nutrition and Mealtime Support

Mealtimes in our toddler program are positive social experiences that foster healthy eating habits and independence. We provide nutritious meals and snacks prepared with attention to dietary needs and allergies, supporting overall health and development. Toddlers are encouraged to practice self-feeding skills, such as using utensils and drinking from open cups, which helps build their fine motor coordination and confidence. We understand that eating can sometimes be challenging during the toddler years, so our staff offers patient support and works collaboratively with families regarding specific nutritional requirements or preferences.

Parent Communication and Involvement

We believe a strong partnership between our center and families is fundamental to a child’s success and happiness in our program. Open, consistent communication keeps you connected to your toddler’s day, their milestones, and the little moments that make their experience special. Our teachers provide regular updates through daily reports, photos, and informal chats, sharing insights into your child’s learning, social interactions, and overall well-being.

Activities at Our School for Toddlers

Our toddler program uses hands-on activities that match the natural energy levels of toddlers. We focus less on finished products and more on the process. That way, learning feels like play, and play becomes a gateway for early childhood education.

Arts

Creative expression flourishes in our toddler classrooms through open-ended art experiences that celebrate process over product. Young artists explore various materials—finger paints, chunky crayons, clay, and collage items—discovering how they work while developing fine motor skills and creative thinking. These sensory-rich experiences provide language development opportunities as teachers describe textures, colors, and actions happening during artistic exploration.

Fitness & Movement

Toddlers possess boundless energy and a natural drive to move their bodies in new ways. Our program channels this energy through structured movement activities and plenty of free play opportunities both indoors and outside. Daily outdoor time allows children to run, climb, jump, and explore in our safe playground space, developing gross motor skills and building physical confidence.

Inside the classroom, music inspires dancing, yoga poses improve balance and body awareness, and obstacle courses challenge growing physical abilities. Teachers introduce games involving following directions, stop-and-go movements, and simple rules that help toddlers develop self-regulation while having fun. These physical activities support healthy development, improve coordination, and provide natural outlets for toddler energy throughout the day.

Phonemic Awareness

Developing early literacy skills starts long before children learn to read, beginning with an awareness of the sounds within language. Our toddler program incorporates activities that build phonemic awareness in fun, natural ways through songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and read-aloud sessions. Teachers emphasize the sounds of letters and words, encouraging children to listen, repeat, and play with language sounds during daily interactions. Engaging stories with repetitive phrases or rhymes capture toddlers’ attention, helping them tune into the rhythm and patterns of speech. These foundational experiences support later reading and writing development, making language exploration a joyful part of our curriculum.

How We’re Different Than Other Toddler Schools

What truly sets Right Steps® apart, especially if you’re looking for a well-credentialed “toddler daycare near me,” is our deep commitment to the Reggio Emilia Approach. This philosophy views children as competent and curious individuals capable of constructing their own learning, driven by their own interests. Instead of a rigid, pre-set curriculum, ours emerges from the children’s questions and explorations, making learning deeply personal and meaningful. The learning environment itself is considered a ‘third teacher,’ intentionally arranged with rich, open-ended materials that provoke discovery and collaboration. 

Our teachers act as researchers and guides, carefully observing, documenting children’s work, and collaborating with them to extend their investigations rather than simply directing activities. This approach fosters critical thinking, creativity, and strong relationships within our Philadelphia community. It honors the unique potential within every toddler, celebrating their voice and perspective in their early childhood education.

Technology & Safety In Our Toddler Programs

Modern parenting demands staying connected while knowing your child remains protected. Our secure digital check-in system tracks attendance and manages authorized pickup lists, giving parents peace of mind regarding their toddler’s security. Our buildings also feature comprehensive security systems with controlled access points, ensuring only authorized individuals enter our facilities.

While we limit screen time for toddlers in keeping with developmental best practices, we thoughtfully incorporate age-appropriate technology tools that enhance learning experiences. Teachers also receive regular emergency preparedness training, practicing response protocols for various situations to maintain readiness while focusing on creating joyful learning experiences in a thoroughly safe environment.

The Benefits of a Quality Daycare Program to a Toddler’s Future

At Right Steps®, we believe in the transformative power of quality early care and education for young children. Our daycare program offers a nurturing and stimulating environment that is essential for toddlers’ developmental milestones. Here are some significant benefits of enrolling your child in our quality daycare program:

• Foundation for Lifelong Learning: Early education plays a critical role in shaping a child’s future. Our program focuses on early learning experiences that foster curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, preparing children for future academic and social success.
• Social Skills Development: At Right Steps®, toddlers interact with peers in a structured setting, which is crucial for developing social skills such as sharing, cooperation, and empathy.
• Cognitive and Language Skills: Our activities are designed to enhance cognitive development and language acquisition, helping children expand their vocabulary and problem-solving skills through play and guided instruction.
• Emotional Growth: We support the emotional well-being of toddlers by providing a safe and caring environment where they can explore their feelings and learn to express themselves with the guidance of skilled childcare providers.
• Physical Development: Toddlers in our program enjoy a range of physical activities that promote motor skills and overall health, all within the secure confines of our modern facilities.

Contact Us for More Information on Toddler Daycare Services

Choosing the right daycare for your toddler is an important decision for any family. At Right Steps®, we are committed to providing a top-tier childcare experience that nurtures and educates. We understand the needs of families in the greater Philadelphia area, and we strive to make our services as accessible and convenient as possible. Here’s how you can pursue the next steps with Right Steps®:

• Schedule a Visit: We invite you to visit our daycare to see our vibrant classrooms, meet our caring staff, and learn more about our toddler program. This is a great opportunity to see how we can meet your child’s and your family’s needs.
• Learn About Enrollment: Our enrollment process is designed to be transparent and accommodating, ensuring that all your questions are answered. We provide detailed information about our curriculum, daily schedules, and the qualifications of our staff.
• Community and Support: Join a community of like-minded families who value early education and the impactful start it provides for children. We offer support not just for your child but for your entire family as you navigate these early years together.

For more information about our toddler daycare services or to schedule a visit, please contact our admissions office. We look forward to welcoming you and your child to the Right Steps® family, where every step in early childhood education is a step in the right direction.

In addition to our expert toddler care programs, our staff also provides excellent supervised co-play and programs for the following groups:

• Infants
• Preschool
• Kindergarten
• And After-School Programs!