The Young Children’s Community (YCC) at Washington Montessori School (WMS) is a two-year toddler program that provides children aged 18 months to 3 years with a dynamic, engaging environment to learn and grow.
The Montessori Approach to Early Education: Supporting the Absorbent Mind
Anyone who has interacted with a toddler knows it is a period of rapid development, often characterized by a growing need for independence and socialization.
Dr. Maria Montessori, the scientist responsible for pioneering the Montessori Method of education, described the significance of this development phase in her seminal work on early education, The Absorbent Mind:
There are many who hold, as I do, that the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when… intelligence itself, [the child’s] greatest implement, is being formed.
The thesis of The Absorbent Mind, which has become a pillar of the Montessori philosophy, is that “The child has a mind able to absorb knowledge,” and possesses “the power to teach himself.”
Of course, the absorption of knowledge looks very different for a toddler and a six-year-old child, leading Dr. Montessori to further classify the first three years of life as the “Unconscious Absorbent Mind,” and age three to six as the “Conscious Absorbent Mind.”
Toddlers in the Unconscious Absorbent Mind stage learn through impressions, many of which prove to be significant and lasting. “Children taking in knowledge now retain it for the rest of their life,” Dr. Montessori wrote in The Aborbent Mind. She credits this impressionable stage to the power of the child’s subconscious memory, noting that many formative experiences “remain engraved as characteristics of the individual.”
But how do young children, especially children still learning to speak, acquire the degree of independence necessary to have these formative experiences? In Dr. Montessori’s words, through the “continuous activity” and “constant effort” encouraged in an environment “rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”
The importance of a Prepared Environment for young learners
Dr. Montessori’s first school was called the Casa dei Bambini — the Children’s House — a bold declaration of the child-centered learning environment wholly incongruous to the conventional educational systems of 1907.
Today, the Prepared Environment is the foundation on which every Montessori education is built. Whether the configuration of a classroom, a route taken through the building, or intentional places reserved for outdoor exploration, all educational spaces are thoughtfully and precisely configured to meet the developmental needs of the children they serve.
The freedom to safely explore a structured, orderly environment is especially important for young children, helping to facilitate the kind of free activity and purposeful effort they need to develop their curiosity and self-confidence.
Montessori materials for young children
The hands-on, experiential, and self-correcting learning materials given to toddlers in Montessori environments are just as thoughtfully designed to encourage self-directed exploration and intrinsic motivation. Many of the materials are working, child-sized tools which they use to care for their environment. Engaging in purposeful movement, practicing real responsibility, and having control over their surroundings gives toddlers a primary pathway to independence, fostering self-reliance and self-esteem. The physical activity of performing activities like sweeping, polishing, and window washing also helps build core strength and improves gross and fine motor skills.
Examples of what Montessorians call sensorial work — aesthetically pleasing materials designed to engage the five senses — are often found in the YCC learning environment. Food tasting and food preparation are routine experiences in toddler classrooms, supporting discrimination of taste, smell, and texture. These activities also enrich vocabulary, as adults model descriptive language and introduce both new and familiar foods to curious learners.
The role of the Montessori teacher
Children are introduced to classroom materials on an individual, developmentally-appropriate basis by Montessori teachers trained to be meticulous observers and operate as subtle educational guides.
In The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Montessori advises early educators “present new things” sparingly, only when the “child has exhausted all the possibilities of those he was using before.” This measured approach ensures toddlers are not distracted or overwhelmed by their surroundings, but have a clear understanding of what they can, and can not (yet), engage with — a philosophy Montessorians call “freedom within limits.”
Washington Montessori School’s holistic approach to early childhood education
From meticulously prepared environments to engaging classroom materials thoughtfully presented by experienced teachers, WMS offers our youngest learners a first-rate Montessori experience.
The YCC classroom environment and school day
Our Young Children’s Community (YCC) classrooms are all appointed with toddler-sized furniture, and arranged in a way that’s structured and intuitive for new walkers to navigate. They include a private, toddler-friendly bathroom with a toddler-sized toilet, a low sink, and individual accessible cubbies that hold the child’s diapering needs and change of clothes. We have found that in an environment that offers such appropriately-sized challenges, children feel empowered to take on greater responsibility for themselves and others.
The YCC school day is structured around an optimal schedule for both children and parents:
- 4-day program (Monday-Thursday)
- Half-day: 8:45-11:35 AM
- Full-day: 8:45 AM-3:00 PM
- 5-day program
- Half-day: 8:45-11:35 AM
- Full-day: 8:45 AM-3:00 PM
- Additional before care and after care
There is a consistency to the daily routine, and the flexibility to accommodate the unique and changing rhythm of a community of toddlers. Activities like arrival, snack, outdoor play, and nap-time happen at the same time every day, while uninterrupted work periods give children the freedom to choose their own activities, follow emerging interests, and develop critical cognitive, motor, and behavioral skills at a developmentally appropriate pace.
Social-emotional learning
Social and emotional development is at the forefront of our approach to early education. The YCC curriculum focuses on empathy, cooperation, and peaceful conflict resolution. Social skills like saying “please,” “thank you,” and shaking hands — what Montessorians call “Grace and Courtesy” — are emphasized as a means of fostering respect for others and the community.
Language
Toddlers have been absorbing language since infancy, and by the time they enter YCC, they are beginning to articulate themselves with greater freedom of expression and self-confidence. Our YCC teachers use purposeful language rich in new words and descriptive adjectives to help expand vocabulary and deepen comprehension. They intentionally speak slowly and softly so that their speech and mouth mechanics are clear for the child. They also listen carefully, often repeating back what students have said to respectfully demonstrate clear pronunciation.
YCC Program Goals
- Offer a safe and loving environment rich in practical life and sensorial experiences
- Support the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of toddlers
- Support toddlers’ sensitive period for language acquisition, gross motor coordination, and order
- Encourage children to enjoy their independence, find satisfaction, and gain confidence in doing things for themselves
- Build a foundation for learning and development
A strong foundation for lifelong learning
For families seeking a program that combines thoughtful care with intentional learning, our YCC program offers toddlers a developmentally appropriate environment that supports curiosity, growth, and emerging independence. The care and intention with which our YCC teachers attend to this program sets children up with the critical cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills they need for future academic success — and the self-confidence and curiosity that instill a lifelong love of learning.
If you have questions about our YCC program, please reach out to the Director of Education. To schedule a visit and see what a YCC classroom looks like in practice, please contact the Director of Enrollment.
