Our Programs
Toddler
Ages 18 months - 3 years
TUITION: Call (313) 359-3000 for tuition. A non-refundable registration fee of $50 is required with the application. Annual, semi-annual, quarterly and monthly plans are available for tuition payments.
HOURS: 8:30-11:15 a.m. and 12:30-3:15 p.m., Monday through Friday. Full and half days are offered. Day care is available for an additional fee before and after class. Building hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
AFFILIATIONS & LICENSING: We are affiliated with American Montessori Society, Michigan Montessori Society, and the Association of Independent Michigan Schools (AIMS), and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The school is approved by the Michigan Department of Education and licensed by the Michigan Department of Human Services Division of Child Day Care Licensing. DHMC is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation, eligible for tax-deductible contributions.
STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION:
Dearborn Heights Montessori Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational or admissions policies.CLASS STRUCTURE:
The class consists of a multi-age group with a balanced number of girls and boys. A college-educated and Montessori-trained head teacher is supported by highly-qualified assistants. The staff-child ratio is 1:4.
Current research confirms the importance of learning in the first three years of life. How and what children learn affects them throughout their lifetime. A toddler is a child in transition between babyhood and the preschool years, with unique needs and abilities that can be well met by the Montessori toddler environment and the specially-trained adults within it.
In a Montessori toddler class, children should learn:
- That they are loved, respected, and safe.
- That everyone has needs, wants, and feelings.
- That they can communicate their needs and wants and trust that they will receive a positive response.
- That they are competent learners.
- That they respect one another.
- To concentrate and focus on their exploration, activities, and interests.
- To care for their physical needs—i.e., undressing, dressing, toileting, washing hands, wiping noses, and learning to eat correctly.
- To develop verbal language.
- That everything has a name.
- To develop physical coordination.
- How things work.
- To behave in culturally appropriate ways.
- To identify the special kind of person they are becoming.
DHMC’s toddler class is designed to provide a secure and caring environment that allows each child to progress at his or her own pace. A wide range of activities foster the development of language, large and small motor skills, and social competence.
In the toddler classroom, everything is child-sized. Low shelves, chairs, tables, and coat hooks allow the children to gain mastery over the environment. Lower fixtures in the lavatory help with toilet training. The room is deliberately kept simple to prevent sensory overload, and consistent routines provide a predictable structure from which to explore. Snacks, lunch, and nap, if applicable, are part of the daily plan.
Activities for toddlers fall into several categories. Practical Life experiences include self-care (putting coats on, taking them off and hanging them up, handwashing, practicing various clothing fasteners on the Montessori dressing frames, toilet learning); food preparation (pouring water and milk, spreading cheese, jam, honey or peanut butter, slicing bananas and hard boiled eggs, setting the table, washing dishes); and care of the environment (dusting, sweeping, raking leaves, watering and washing plants, mirror polishing, napkin folding, feeding classroom pets).
Sensorial activities include a wide range of manipulatives and puzzles, and materials that call the tactile, olfactory, and auditory senses into play.
Large motor activities include crawling through tunnels, carrying and pushing heavy objects, climbing, rocking, spinning, swinging, riding, and throwing balls. The gross motor room, the gymnasium, and the outdoor environment all provide opportunities for large muscle practice.
Language is developed through singing and finger plays, music, naming and other vocabulary activities, books and photographs.
Eye-hand coordination is enhanced through cutting, pasting, sewing, pegboards, hammering, and a variety of art materials such as playdough, crayons, chalk, and paint.
Social skills emerge as the children learn to separate from home and function in the toddler community.
In short, the toddler class provides a warm, nurturing, stimulating environment specifically tailored to the needs of 18 month to 3-year-olds.