Toddler Daycare & Programs in Brooklyn (1-3 Years)
Little Me Daycare cares for babies from 6 weeks old in a dedicated infant room in Crown Heights, with a 2-teacher-to-8-baby ratio and daily updates sent straight to your phone.
1 to 3 years
2:10 and 2:12 ratios
Serving Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and PLG
2:10 ratio for 12–24 months, 2:12 for ages 2–3
Emotional-education curriculum: sharing, turn-taking, naming feelings
Potty training partnership with families, on your child's timeline
Support for language development in bilingual and multilingual households
Daily outdoor time at Brower Park and Lincoln Terrace Park
Fine motor skill-building through art, blocks and sensory play
An Emotional-Education Curriculum That Meets Toddlers Where They Are
Our toddler curriculum puts emotional and social development on equal footing with early learning. This is the age where sharing, waiting turns and naming feelings all get built for the first time, usually messily. We keep ratios at 2 teachers per 10 children (12–24 months) and 2 per 12 (2–3 years) so that building happens with real adult attention, not just supervision. A toddler classroom can look chaotic from the outside; what’s actually happening, most of the time, is a small child learning, in real time, through trial and error, how to exist alongside other small children. That takes a teacher who’s paying attention, not just counting heads.
Crown Heights is home to plenty of bilingual and Caribbean-language households, and we see that reflected in our toddler rooms. We support children wherever they are in the language explosion, whatever languages that includes at home, whether that’s English, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Patois or a mix of several. Outdoor time is part of every day, with Brower Park and Lincoln Terrace Park both an easy walk from Dean Street, giving toddlers the gross-motor time, running, climbing, jumping, that this age genuinely needs.
We also think a lot about consistency of staffing at this age, toddlers do better with familiar faces, and we work to minimize the kind of staff turnover that can make a classroom feel unpredictable to a two-year-old who thrives on routine.
What About Biting and Tantrums?
Both are completely normal at this age, and both come up in every toddler room, ours included. Biting is usually a communication problem before it’s a discipline problem, a toddler without the words to say ‘I’m frustrated’ or ‘that’s mine’ sometimes bites instead. Our staff are trained to redirect before a bite happens where possible, respond calmly and consistently when it doesn’t, and always let you know the same day, with specifics, not a vague mention at pickup.
Tantrums get the same steady, calm response. We don’t shame or isolate a child for having big feelings, because at this age, big feelings are the whole point of being a toddler. We help a child get through it, name what happened once they’re calm enough to hear it, and move on without turning it into a bigger event than it needs to be. Consistency matters more than any single technique: the same calm response every time teaches a toddler what to expect, which is often what actually shortens the tantrum over time.
The Language Explosion,
Supported However It Happens
Somewhere between 18 months and 2 years, most toddlers go from a handful of words to constant, rapid-fire speech, what’s often called the language explosion. In a neighborhood as linguistically varied as Crown Heights, that explosion doesn’t always happen in a single language, and we don’t expect it to. Our teachers narrate their own actions, name objects and feelings consistently, and read aloud daily, regardless of which language or combination of languages a child is building at home. Children who are learning two or more languages simultaneously aren’t behind. They’re doing something more complex, and we treat it that way.
What a Typical Toddler Day Looks Like
Toddlers thrive on predictable routine, and our daily rhythm reflects that:
8:00–9:00am
Arrival, free play, morning greeting circle
9:00–9:30am
Breakfast and snack
9:30–10:30am
Structured activity: art, blocks, sensory bins, or music
10:30–11:30am
Outdoor time at Brower Park or Lincoln Terrace Park, weather permitting
11:30am–12:15pm
Lunch
12:15–2:15pm
Nap time
2:15–3:00pm
Snack, quiet activity
3:00–4:00pm
Second outdoor or gross-motor play window
4:00–6:00pm
Free play, wind-down, Brightwheel update, pickup
Potty Training as a
Partnership , Not a Deadline
We follow your lead on when to start potty training, not a fixed age. Once you’re ready to begin at home, tell us and we’ll match the same approach and language during the day, so your child isn’t getting mixed signals between home and daycare. Consistency between the two settings tends to matter more than any particular method.
The Move Into Preschool
Around age 3, toddlers transition into our preschool program, where the emphasis shifts toward kindergarten readiness, early literacy, early math, and more structured group routines. We plan this transition individually rather than by a fixed birthday cutoff, based on a child’s readiness for a longer, more academically structured day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age range does the toddler program cover?
Our toddler program serves children from 12 months to 3 years old.
Do you help with potty training?
Yes, we partner with families on potty training at a pace that works for each child, following your lead on when to start.
How do you handle biting or tantrums?
Our staff are trained to redirect early, respond calmly and consistently, and communicate with parents the same day any incident happens.
What is the toddler-to-teacher ratio?
We maintain 2 teachers for every 10 children ages 12–24 months, and 2 teachers for every 12 children ages 2–3.
Do you support bilingual or multilingual toddlers?
Yes, we support children’s language development wherever they are, in whatever languages are spoken at home.
When does my toddler move up to the preschool room?
The transition is individualized, generally happening around age 3, based on your child’s readiness for a longer, more structured day.
What outdoor time do toddlers get?
Toddlers have outdoor time built into the daily schedule, typically at Brower Park or Lincoln Terrace Park, weather permitting.
My toddler is bilingual, will that be supported?
Yes. We support language development in whatever languages a child is building at home, and see this regularly given Crown Heights’ linguistic diversity.
What if my toddler isn't talking much yet?
Every toddler develops language at their own pace. Our teachers narrate, name and read consistently with every child, and we’re happy to talk through any specific concerns you have.
How consistent is staffing in the toddler room?
We prioritize staffing consistency because toddlers do best with familiar teachers and predictable routines.
See the Toddler Room in Person
Watch a real toddler day in progress and meet the teachers who run it.
ACS/HRA vouchers accepted | Ages 6 weeks to 5 years | Three meals daily | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm