Mandeville Toddler Class

When a parent walks into the Toddler classroom in Mandeville you are greeted by a beautiful nature mural on the wall.  Calm and serene colors are evident in the classroom and everything is designed with the 1—2 year old child in mind.  Our room meets the children’s needs for calmness, beauty, security, order and learning. In this “Prepared Environment”, the child can easily focus on the shelves that are prepared with activities designed to meet the child’s interests and budding competencies. These activities encompass vocabulary building; sensorial stimulations with sound, touch, smell and sight and practice with eye/hand coordination. 

The toddler’s days are filled with love and encouragement. At circle time the toddlers learn not only to sing songs but they also learn to sign some of the words in their daily songs. Story time, art activities, cooking and outside play are usually a part of the toddler’s day. The children participate in table cleaning along with learning to sweep and wipe spills.  Social skills are emphasized daily as is verbalizing their wants, needs, likes and dislikes. Great attention is given to helping the children identify their feelings and express them appropriately. 

Many modern neuroscientists have come to the same conclusion as Dr. Montessori, that it is in the first three years of life the brain absorbs more information that at any other time.  We know that your toddler will greatly benefit from the loving, encouraging environment that is prepared just for your child’s needs and absorbent mind. 

Rachel Dwan
Toddler Lead Teacher

Ms. Rachel joined the Kinder Haus team in August of 2011. She just recently moved to Louisiana from New York City where she had been working at Twin Parks Montessori in Manhattan. Ms. Rachel received her degree in Psychology from Curry College in the Boston area. After graduation she pursued her training in Montessori and received her A.M.S. certification in 2009. Ms. Rachel is very excited to be a part of the 0-3 Montessori program at Kinder Haus and we feel blessed to welcome her to our teaching staff. She is engaged to be married and we look forward to a great partnership with her at Kinder Haus. In addition, Ms. Rachel will be working in the office from 2:30—4:00.

Lisette Nicolle
Toddler Teacher and Afternoon Toddler Teacher

Mrs. Lisette joined the Kinder Haus family in August 2011. She will work with Ms. Rachel to provide a loving and nurturing environment for the toddlers to learn and to grow. Previously, Mrs. Lisette has worked at other childcare centers and we are excited to have her join our team. She has studied Early Childhood Education at University of New Orleans and has been in childcare for many years. She is happily married and a grandmother of two and a mother of three.