Welcome to the "HUMMINGBIRDS"
(Toddler Program: ages 18 months to 3 years)
The Hummingbird classroom is a child-size world which invites exploration on a level a small person can manage. It is set up to respond to the very young child's need for order, consistency, and predictability. Hummingbirds learn to build trust as they understand what they can expect from others and what others can expect from them.
Since this is their first experience away from home, independence becomes their primary task. With nurturing guidance, they learn to identify their primary needs: food and drink, clothing, potty, work and rest. They learn personal and social responsibility as they practice putting away work, taking turns, and working without disturbing others. Further challenges include large muscle skills, dexterity, and the pre-reading skills of sorting, matching and sequencing.
Guidelines for Hummingbird Parents
A child's separation from his parents is an important leap toward acquiring independence. Farewells may be hard and will be even more difficult if parents linger. The teacher will help you recognize the appropriate time to leave. With the proper guidance and an early start this transition will be both challenging and enjoyable. Hummingbird teachers put your child's essential needs first and support his daily opportunities to recognize his responsibility to himself and to others. Being able to make responsible choices comes through practice and through discovering the consequences of appropriate and inappropriate choices.
You can assist your child in this critical transition to independence by arriving at regular drop-off times. Remember that the observation area is always available. Give your child a few minutes to enter the classroom and choose work, then park. You are welcome to come and check to assure yourself that all is well. But please resist the urge to interrupt your child's process of learning.
