As soon as children are able to walk, a period begins during which the hands, which are now liberated from the task of helping the body to move, need to be given work.

— Dr Maria Montessori

Children can enter the MBA Toddler Community as soon as they have mastered one of their most important and earliest task towards self-construction and independence: walking. They usually are about 14 months at that time and will be able to find fulfillment of their needs in this particular environment up until the age of 2 1/2 to 3 years old.

During this critical time of development, as they unconsciously absorb the physical and emotional aesthetic of the environment, children lay the foundation for their personality, cognitive functions and social skills. The Toddler Community provides the rich and positive experiences crucially needed by children at this stage of development, taking advantage of their natural urge to be independent and tending to their need for movement, order and language.

Children strengthen their fine and gross motor skills through the availability of accessible, attractive and developmentally appropriate materials. They engage in activities revolving around self-care — such as dressing, eating and toileting; they manipulate real tools and objects in reality-based activities — such as food preparation, setting up the lunch table and washing dishes. Children also develop their language through conversations, songs, carefully chosen books and specific language activities.

The MBA Toddler Community is a safe, orderly and loving environment where children are proud to mirror adult work and progress towards independence with dignity; where they are are supported by expertly stimulated bodies and cognitive capacities, and therefore develop self-confidence, autonomy, competence, a sense of purpose, and belonging to a community.

Extremely close collaboration between parents and teachers, as well as a carefully orchestrated transition from the home nest to the outside world ensure that children and parents fully benefit from this exceptional early start in life.