The toddlers at Monash Children’s Centre are cared for in the Dulili, Amaroo and Baringa rooms. The ages of the children enrolled in this area are between 16 months to 35 months at the 1st of January.
Room 3, the Dulili room which means “Together,” has up to 10 children (per day) with 4 teachers.Rooms 3 4 & 5
Room 4, the Amaroo room which means “Beautiful Place,” has up to 11 children (per day) with 4 teachers.
Room 5, the Baringa room which means “Light,” has up to 16 children (per day) with 5 teachers.
Children in these rooms are becoming more active in exploring the world around them. This display of natural curiosity helps children to make sense of their world. They will learn by testing and experimenting with everything around them.
The three rooms share a large outdoor space which has an abundance of challenges and opportunities full of wonder and surprise. The outdoor area is rich in natural elements which encourage interaction with native birds, plants, water, dirt and sand. Landscaped areas are defined by natural materials such as stepping stones, plants, platforms, a river bed and a bridge. The area invites open ended play and exploration which is reflective of the centres philosophy.
Our pedagogy identifies that learning is most successful when it is offered in the context of play. Teachers spend a majority of their time engaging in play to ascertain the children’s current interests and skills. This knowledge forms the basis for future ideas and the direction of the program. Teachers, families and children regularly share stories in an effort to paint a holistic picture of the child. The perspectives gathered from these conversations are then used to design individual plans that compliment each child on their learning journey.
Our toddler rooms focus on building skills to assist children in being enthusiastic learners. Self help skills are encouraged in all elements of the day including play and routine times. It is in these rooms that children’s lockers and bags are easily accessible to them at all times, allowing children to take ownership of their personal belongings and creations.
Toddlers are energetic, ego-centric and busy. It is at this time that they are improving on all areas (motor, language, social, cognitive and emotional) of their development and understandings. We recognise that whilst toddlers strive to be independent they may still find it difficult to regulate their emotions and need trusting adults to support them. We provide for this area by having familiar teachers working closely with the children day to day. The trusting relationships formed assist children to be able to safely discover new emotions and learn how to deal with them in a pro-social manner.
