Toddlers are not passive recipients of learning. They are relentless investigators – testing limits, forming theories, demanding to know why. Our role isn’t to contain that energy. It’s to channel it.
Our Toddler program is built on our proprietary Nest-EQ framework – a comprehensive model that develops four interconnected capabilities: Emotional (EQ), Adaptive (AQ), Cognitive (IQ) and Creative (CQ). Delivered within Montessori-inspired environments, it’s an approach designed not just for who your child is today, but for who they are becoming.
“I do it.” The defining spirit of the toddler years – and the moment our program is built for. This is when independence is born, language explodes and the first seeds of empathy, resilience and self-belief take root. Our curriculum is built to meet that moment: not a schedule of activities, but a deliberate architecture of developmental outcomes designed to grow capability across every dimension of your child’s life.”
– Ashley Gayle, North York Director
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Empathy, Collaboration & Social Awareness
- Express a growing range of emotions with increasing self-awareness
- Begin to recognize emotions in others through expression, tone and behaviour
- Develop early empathy through comforting actions, sharing and genuine concern for peers
- Build the foundations of collaboration, turn-taking and early leadership
- Develop awareness of fairness and the impact their actions have on others
Adaptive Capacity (AQ)
Regulation, Resilience & Emerging Independence
- Begin recovering from emotional experiences with decreasing adult support
- Use emerging language to regulate feelings and navigate difficulty
- Transition between activities, spaces and routines with growing confidence
- Persist through challenging tasks and take genuine pride in the effort
- Assert preferences and autonomy in ways that build real confidence and self-trust
Cognitive Capabilities (IQ)
Curiosity, Reasoning & Early Systems Thinking
Through intentional, inquiry-based exploration, your child will:
- Investigate cause and effect with growing sophistication and purpose
- Use tools and materials intentionally to solve real problems
- Sort, match and classify objects building the foundations of logical thinking
- Follow sequences, anticipate familiar routines and begin understanding how systems work
- Sustain attention for increasingly extended periods during play and structured experiences
Creative Confidence (CQ)
Imagination, Symbolic Play & Applied Creativity
- Use objects symbolically to represent people, experiences, and ideas
- Engage in pretend play scenarios of growing complexity
- Express ideas and emotions through movement, sound, art, and construction
- Build, stack, and modify structures – experimenting with balance, space, and function
- Communicate meaning through multiple modes of expression, long before words are enough
1:5 Educator-to-Toddler Ratio
All Day Live Camera Access
Daily Reports via Kindertales
Potty Training Partnership
Montessori-Inspired Environments
Family Conferences
By the end of the Toddler Program, your child will have built meaningful capability across all domains of the Nest-EQ framework including:
- Solving simple problems in multiple ways, with growing independence
- Labelling and beginning to manage a range of emotions
- Watching and imitating purposeful actions with increasing complexity
- Sustaining back-and-forth verbal exchanges with adults and peers
- Using two or more words to make requests, ask questions and express ideas
- Demonstrating gross motor confidence through running, climbing and coordinated movement
Whether your child is moving up from our Infant Program or arriving at The Learning Nest for the first time, we take the transition seriously. Our educators are experienced at building genuine bonds quickly – creating the security your toddler needs to feel confident, curious and ready to explore.
We’ll work closely with you to understand your child’s routines, temperament and needs. The goal is simple: by the time you leave, they’re already at home.
We’ve got answers! Learn more about what makes our childcare centres the perfect place for your little one to learn and grow.
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What is the educator-to-toddler ratio?
We maintain a 1:5 educator-to-toddler ratio — one dedicated educator for every five children. This reflects our genuine commitment to individual attention, responsive care and meaningful relationships between educators and children.
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What does the Toddler Program curriculum include?
Our program is guided by the Nest-EQ framework — spanning Emotional (EQ), Adaptive (AQ), Cognitive (IQ) and Creative capabilities (CQ), alongside AI-Era Literacy foundations. Delivered within Montessori-inspired environments, the curriculum is designed to develop the whole child: emotionally, socially, cognitively and creatively.
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Why does the quality of early care matter so much?
The science is unambiguous: 90% of the brain’s core architecture is formed before age five, with the most rapid development occurring in the first year of life. The relationships, environments and experiences your child has right now are building the structure of their brain – shaping cognition, emotional regulation, language and resilience for decades to come. Quality early care isn’t a luxury. It’s a developmental imperative.
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Do you support potty training?
Yes and we take it seriously. Potty training is a significant developmental milestone and a genuine partnership between home and school. Our educators work closely with you to follow consistent routines and cues, providing patient, confident encouragement so your toddler builds independence at their own pace.
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How does the Toddler Program differ from the Infant Program?
Where the Infant Program focuses on secure attachment, sensory exploration and early communication, the Toddler Program builds on that foundation by introducing greater independence, structured social interaction, language development, problem-solving and emotional regulation. The Nest-EQ framework threads through both – each stage deepening the capabilities built in the one before.
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How will I stay informed during the day?
Through our secure Kindertales app, you’ll receive continuous updates – activities, meals, nap times and milestone moments. You also have unrestricted live camera access throughout the day, so your toddler is never more than a click away.
