In order to best support our one to two-and-a-half year-olds’ growth and development, we provide primary care giving and continuity of care. Primary care groups consist of one teacher with three or four children, which allows each child to form a secure attachment to one adult and fortifies the parent-teacher-child relationship as families enter the program. With that connection, the children feel the confident freedom they need to explore and initiate their own learning in the classroom through play. Our practice is influenced by Magda Gerber’s R.I.E. philosophy, stressing the importance of respecting even the youngest children in the same ways that we respect adults. By engaging in a cooperative relationship, we allow children to become independent, curious and confident learners and people.

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The Grasshopper Room is dedicated to giving the children as much time as they need to work independently to develop practical skills, such as hand washing, feeding, dressing and self-soothing. We are committed to spending at least two hours per day outside. While toddlers are not permitted to ride the bus like the older classrooms, this does not detract from the number of community outings we engage in each week. Trips to the UW campus, nearby parks, fire stations and the rich offering of local businesses in the University District make our days extremely engaging for our youngest children.

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We stock the grasshopper curriculum full of new experiences ranging from a variety of sensorial experiences in our sensory table, to cooking and baking projects, to play-dough and painting, to stickers and puzzles, to books and puppets, there’s always something new happening in the toddler room!

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Note: Enrollment for this class begins in 2023.