Toddlers
Safe, Stimulating Toddler Care in Minneapolis
As your child begins to explore the world with more independence, YWCA Minneapolis offers a nurturing environment designed to support every stage of toddler development.
Our toddler program features highly trained teachers, small class sizes and age-appropriate learning experiences. We can help your child build confidence and language through play, movement and exploration.
Toddler Program Details
Age Range: 16 months to 36 months
Teacher-to-Child Ratio: 1 to 5–7
Availability: Full-time child care
Locations: Five NAEYC-accredited, 4-star Parent Aware Rated centers
What Makes Our Toddler Program Unique
Learning Through Repetition
Toddlers thrive on repetition, which strengthens the neural connections needed for lifelong learning. We structure our curriculum with predictable routines and repeatable activities to support their brain development.
Problem Solving + Creativity
We encourage curiosity through activities that involve cause-and-effect, open-ended exploration and simple challenges like stacking, sorting and building.
Language-Rich Environment
Language development is a cornerstone of our toddler program. Our teachers engage children in ongoing dialogue—modeling conversation, encouraging expression and supporting both English and home languages.
Small Group Learning
We focus on small-group interactions and play centers to create a calm, focused space for learning. This helps toddlers feel safe and seen, while supporting the development of early social skills.
Motor Skill Development
Toddlers are on the move—and we make sure they have space to jump, climb, run and throw safely. Daily gross motor play is a vital part of every day.
Enriching Experiences That Support Growth
Our culturally responsive, inclusive curriculum includes:
Sensory play with different textures, colors and shapes
Music and rhyme from a variety of cultures
Construction and block play for spatial reasoning
Hands-on sorting and organizing to develop pattern recognition
Language support for bilingual or multilingual families
Guided practice that helps children build independence
Schedule a Tour of Our Toddler Program
YWCA Minneapolis offers toddler care at five convenient locations across the Twin Cities. All our locations are NAEYC-accredited and 4-star Parent Aware Rated.