Nurturing Experiences
Our Toddler Studio, designed for
1.5 to 2.5 Years
Our early childhood education program provides a fun setting for your child to discover and explore their senses. In our toddler studio our teams are dedicated to providing a safe and stimulating environment for your child.
Our early childhood educators will be there to help guide your child in the direction which they need.
We will help each child by building relationships with each individual and providing them with a nurturing experience throughout their day. This will help each child build their confidence in a home away from home.
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Developmental Support
How our Toddler
Studio Works
Growing through play
Indoor and outdoor experiences turned into teachable moments. Play is how toddlers learn, so play is what the day is built from.
Exploring the senses
Stimulating activities every day that let your child use every sense to work out how things behave, feel and change.
Building confidence
A home away from home, where your child is known individually and encouraged to try things just beyond what they managed last week.
Moving and making friends
Space for big and small muscles to develop, and daily chances to play alongside their own age group and other rooms.
01
One educator to every five children, the required ratio for this age group in Queensland.
02
Room to move, indoors and out — climbing, running, balancing, carrying, and the physical challenge toddlers are looking for.
03
Messy, hands-on sensory play every day. Water, sand, paint, dough, mud and whatever else is worth investigating.
04
Toilet training supported at your child's pace and in step with home — never rushed, never a condition of moving rooms.
05
Big feelings met calmly. Educators who name what's happening rather than shutting it down, because the words come before the self-control does.
06
Language everywhere. Songs, stories, narration and real conversation, during the period when vocabulary grows fastest.
Our Goal
Growing and exploring through play
Our play-based learning approach is a critical part of our philosophy. The activities in our toddler studio are designed to take advantage of indoor and outdoor experiences and transform them into teachable moments that impart valuable knowledge and skills. Throughout each toddler's day they are provided the opportunity to explore all their senses using stimulating activities.
Our focus
A stimulating environment to develop in
Our centres have a variety of spaces to inspire the imagination and creativity of your toddler. We engage with our little ones in small and large groups or through individual activities. Indoor and outdoor activities support the growth of small and large muscles while discovering the outdoor environment. Each child is given the support to build their fine and gross motor skills.
Climbed on, tipped out, and washed off
What the toddler years actually look like
The toddler years get a bad reputation. What's really happening is that your child now has opinions, ideas and intentions well ahead of the language and self-control needed to manage them.
That gap is the whole story of this age, and it closes on its own with time and steady adults.
18 month - 24 months
Words arriving fast
Vocabulary growing quickly, then two-word combinations. Running, climbing and carrying. Pretend play — feeding a doll, driving a block. Strong preferences. Playing alongside other children rather than with them.
With us: space for real physical challenge. Pretend play props and open-ended materials. Educators narrating and expanding, your child says “big truck”, we say “that's a big truck, it's carrying the sand”.
24 months to 30 months
Testing what holds
Short sentences. Asking constantly what things are. Wanting to do it themselves and getting frustrated when it doesn't work. Tantrums peaking.
Beginning to show interest in the toilet.
With us: choices offered all day, so your child gets real control over small things and doesn't need to fight for it elsewhere. Self-help skills practised daily — shoes, hats, hand washing, own cup, own spoon. Toilet training started when your child shows readiness, not at a set age.
30 months to 36 months
Playing together
Longer sentences and questions, especially “why”. Starting to play with other children rather than beside them. Taking turns with support. Managing stairs, pedalling, throwing. Drawing with intent. Understanding simple rules.
With us: cooperative games an educator sits inside rather than supervises from outside. Early conflict handled as a teaching moment. Growing independence in routines, ready for the move to Junior Kindy.
All of this sits inside the Early Years Learning Framework — belonging, being and becoming. In the Toddler Studio that means your child belonging to a group, being allowed to have big feelings, and becoming steadily more capable.
A home away from home
Empowering Children
The things you
shouldn't have to ask about
Ratios
One educator to every five children, the Queensland requirement for children aged two to three, held across the day.
Biting, hitting and conflict
Common at this age and not a sign of anything wrong. We respond immediately, support both children, and tell you the same day. We don't label children, and we work on what triggered it rather than punishing after the fact.
Sun safety
Some toddlers still need a solid sleep, others are dropping it. We offer a rest period with a quiet alternative for children who are done with day sleeps, and follow your lead rather than a room-wide rule.
Rest without pressure
One educator to every four children, maintained across the full day — not only at the quiet times.
Allergies and dietary needs
Individual plans documented, displayed in the kitchen and the Studio, and known by every educator.
Qualified in an emergency
All educators hold current first aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis training, child protection training and a valid Queensland Blue Card.
The same faces, day after day
Toddlers test limits, which only works if the limits stay in the same place. Stable teams are what make that possible — many of our educators have been with Smart Tots for 5 years.
Every educator holds at least a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and our Studios are led by educators holding a Diploma. But what matters most in a toddler room is patience, consistency, and staying calm when a two-year-old isn't.
Seeing The Child
F A Q's
Questions parents
ask us
What age is the Toddler Studio for?
Around 1.5 to 2.5 years, between our Nursery Studio and Junior Kindy.
Do you help with toilet training?
Yes, and we follow your lead. We start when your child shows signs of readiness rather than at a set age, use the same language and routine you're using at home, and keep going through the inevitable setbacks without making them a problem. Toilet training is never a condition of moving to the next room.
My child still naps. Will they get a sleep?
Yes. We offer a rest period every day, with a quiet activity for children who no longer sleep. We won't keep a tired child awake, or force a child who's finished with naps to lie down.
What if my child bites or hits another child?
It happens at this age. We step in straight away, support both children, and let you know the same day. Rather than punishing after the event, we look at what led up to it — usually frustration, tiredness, or not yet having the words.
What if my child is hurt by another child?
You'll be told the same day, with an incident record. For privacy reasons, we can't tell you which child was involved, and the other family is told the same. We'll explain what we're doing about it.
How is this different from the Nursery Studio?
More independence and more room to move. Toddlers feed themselves, start managing their own routines, and spend far more of the day on their feet and outdoors. The ratio changes too, from one educator per four children to one per five.
What should my child wear?
Clothes you don't mind getting ruined. Toddler learning is messy by design, and a child who's worried about their clothes doesn't join in properly.
How will I know what happened during the day?
Sleep times, bottles, meals and nappy changes are recorded as they happen and shared with you through Storypark, along with photos. Your educator will also talk you through the day at pick-up.
My child is having big tantrums. Is that normal?
Yes, and it usually peaks somewhere around two and a half. Your child now has intentions running well ahead of the language to express them and the self-control to manage the frustration. It passes as those catch up.
When will my child move to Junior Kindy?
Around 2,5 years, but it depends on your child rather than the calendar. We'll talk with you first, then transition gradually with visits to the new room alongside a familiar educator.
Can I get government subsidy for fees?
Most families are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, paid directly to us to reduce your out-of-pocket fees. Services Australia can confirm your entitlement.
Close to home
Find your
Smart Tots.
Three welcoming centres, one shared commitment: helping children feel secure, capable and excited to learn.
Alexandra Hills
Our founding centre, open since 2016, has 95 licensed places, a warm, dedicated team of educators and a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach.
Mt Cotton
99 licensed places in a bushland setting, recently refurbished, with a team our families single out by name.
Capalaba
A smaller, more boutique centre with 77 places across our four rooms, a caring team of educators, and a recently upgraded outdoor environment.
Ready when you are
Give your child a confident beginning.
Meet our educators, explore the play spaces and see why families choose Smart Tots.