Toddler and Children's House Program

The Toddler Program at TMS is not a day care. It is a decisive entry point into our highly nurturing and successful Montessori educational environment. Our Children's House program builds on the learnings from the Toddler program and establishes an excellent foundation for students to start their TMS journey. Both programs as well as our Elementary Program are located at our Lower School campus.

Our Toddler and Children’s House Program levels are as follows:

  • Toddler (18 months to 3 years) - The Toddler Program provides a nurturing educational experience that fosters independence, language development and motor movement.  Toddler students may attend either half-days or full-days.  Read more about the TMS Toddler Program HERE
     
  • Children's House (3 to 6 years) - The Children's House program at TMS establishes an excellent foundation for students to develop greater thoughtfulness and independence as they continue their journey towards becoming capable, lifelong learners.  The curriculum is divided into five areas of study:  Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, and Culture. Depending on the level, students also receive instruction from specialist teachers in French, Physical Education, Art, and Music.

    Our Children's House 1 program is designed for our three year olds and is regulated by the Child Care Early Years Act (CCEYA). In addition to our enriched Montessori program, our half-day students enjoy outdoor play and a morning snack and our full-day students participate in two hours of outdoor play, a rest period, daily snacks (morning and afternoon) and lunch each day.

    Our Children's House 2/3 program is designed for four and five year olds.  These students also receive Art and Music instruction by subject specialists throughout the week. Read more about the TMS Children’s House Program HERE
     

The Four Pillar Approach
TMS aims to guide and nurture the development of each student’s potential to become a successful, informed, active, compassionate and life-long learner who will make a positive contribution to our international community. In order to do this, we have created a program called the TMS Pillars which provides a framework and set of expectations for student achievement in the areas of Academics, Arts, Athletics, and Citizenship.

Here’s what the pillars look like in the Toddler and Children’s House Programs:

 

Academics
Students at TMS can begin in our Toddler program where they first enter the Montessori Program.  At this age, students are just starting to create their own identity and discover their sense of self and the TMS Toddler environment supports that with activities and materials. Students begin to develop their independence, motor development, and language acquisition daily through direct lessons and exploration. These experiences provide a solid foundation to build the enriched academic standards of our Children’s House program.

Our Children’s House students are provided with a solid foundation in all five areas of the curriculum: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and Culture. Students receive individual lessons from their teacher with concrete Montessori materials.  These lessons provide the students with a visual, tactile and auditory impression of concepts.  They are encouraged to explore the materials which enforces the skills taught and supports their overall development. Montessori’s philosophy focuses on following the child and early cognitive development.  Children are very capable and need to be given opportunities to fulfill their potential.  At TMS, we provide them with these opportunities!

Athletics
The TMS Toddler program provides our youngest students with the opportunity to move freely in classrooms designed for children 18 months to age 3, a fully equipped Gross Motor Room, and natural playgrounds. Movement is driven by our students’ own curiosity and the well-designed environments encourage this movement. Children need to be given opportunities to explore through fine and gross motor movement. Watching our youngest students independently travel to and from the playgrounds each day demonstrates their desire to move and balance as they gain better control of their growing bodies.

When students move into the Children’s House program, they have various opportunities to develop their gross motor skills.  They spend time outside on our numerous and well-equipped playgrounds, enjoy hikes through the campus, local ravine and participate in Physical Education classes led by specialist teachers. The Children’s House classrooms are also very spacious which enables children to move freely and participate in activities that promote and strengthen large motor movements.

Arts
Artistic and musical expression is natural to human beings. In TMS Toddler classrooms and outdoor learning spaces, students are able to use various materials such as paint, play-dough, and chalk to express themselves artistically and musical instruments to express themselves rhythmically.  While the children enjoy the Gross Motor Room and playgrounds, various types of music are played which enriches their vocabulary, rhythm, and cultural experiences.  In a typical academic year (non-pandemic), parents of our Toddlers are welcome to participate in “Music Keys” circles where parents and their children enjoy learning through sound exploration, song and movement. 

In Children’s House, students use crayons, watercolours, easel paint, chalk, and glue to create their own works of art and self-expression.  The children also work on a range of crafts that are associated with holidays and specific themes. In the Culture curriculum, children use music and art to develop their creative abilities as they explore different cultural concepts.  Children in CH2/3 also receive Visual Art and Music instruction from subject specialist teachers.

Citizenship
Very young children are typically focused on themselves, however, when they are part of a community like TMS, they naturally develop empathy and care for others.  In our Toddler program, understanding, compassion and attention to others is demonstrated by the adults.  Young children emulate this behaviour and they can often been seen independently getting a tissue for a crying classmate or reassuring their peers.  Toddlers are introduced to activities that help to maintain the environment, inside and outside. Throughout the day, students can be seen recycling, gardening, watering plants, carrying laundry to be cleaned, and sweeping the floor. They are responsible citizens of the world.

Within the Children’s House program, citizenship begins in the classroom where the children are members of a close-knit community.  Students learn how to work and play together in a fun yet respectful manner. They support each other in the classroom and on the playground.  Our older students can often be seen giving a lesson to a younger classmate or reading to a small group. Our students learn about the cultural foundations of people and nations, respect various traditions and cultural similarities and differences.  Maria Montessori was an advocate for peace in the world and we continue to incorporate this aim in our classrooms.  The Children’s House students also participate in opportunities to help the broader community. In the past this included writing letters to veterans on Remembrance Day, collecting food for the local pantry, and raising funds for the Terry Fox Foundation.

ADMISSION STEPS:
 

1. Schedule A Visit

We encourage you to join us at a virtual or in-person event! 
Register for an Information Session or Open House

2. Submit An Application
Please read through our Admissions Process (in our Admissions Resource Library), to know what is required for your child's application. 

3 . Required Testing (CH 2 & CH 3)

You will be contacted to set up a test date for an in-house assessment.

4. Recommendation Forms (CH 2 & CH 3)

We require the student's current teacher to submit a Teacher Recommendation Form. 

5 . Acceptance Notification

The first round of offers will be shared in November, followed by a second round in March. 

Toddler and Children’s House 1 applicants should be aware that TMS, like many other Montessori independent schools in the GTA/York Region, has taken the decision to opt-out of the Canada Wide Early Learning Child Care system (CWELCC). 

Frequently Asked Questions
 

Toddler (18 months - 3 years)

Children's House 1

Children's House 2/3