09/24/2026
🌻 Happy Almost Friday! 🌻
Over the years, I’ve changed our starting age from 3 to 2, and I’ve had people ask me why!
So… let’s get into it! 👇
After interviewing and touring with families, every new family is given a one-month probationary period. This gives families the opportunity to decide whether our environment and expectations feel like the right fit, and it gives me the opportunity to determine whether those expectations are developmentally appropriate and supportive for that particular child.
Because yes, there are expectations here. ❤️
Our students are expected to participate in our daily routines, engage with the classroom community, practice independence, and work toward being active participants in the things we do throughout the day.
That does NOT mean I expect a newly-two-year-old to function like a three- or four-year-old.
We adjust our expectations, provide support, model, scaffold, and meet children where they are developmentally. But we also give children opportunities to rise to the expectations we do have for them.
Over time, I’ve found that starting between 2- 3 years old can be incredibly beneficial.
Our younger friends have time to become acclimated to the environment, learn our routines, build relationships with their peers, and learn by watching and participating alongside the children who have already been here longer.
Then, as they grow within the school, they already have a foundation of familiarity. They know our routines. They understand how our classroom works. They know what participation looks like. They have relationships with their friends and understand the expectations of being part of our community.
That foundation makes a HUGE difference.
And then there are the occasional little ones who come along and completely surprise me. 😂
The child you’re seeing in this video is 2 years old, and she is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to participating in our classroom. She is incredibly capable, engaged, independent, and eager to be part of what we're doing.
She is also a good reminder of why I don't believe in putting children into boxes based solely on their age.
She isn't the expectation for every two-year-old; shes her own person having her SFP experience. ❤️
I've had other two-year-olds enter our program and grow with us as well, and the experiences have helped me see just how much younger children can take away from being part of a consistent, supportive, mixed-age environment.
So while 2–3 has become the new starting age range I've found works especially well for our program, age is only one piece of the puzzle.
The bigger question is:
Is this child ready to participate in our community, with the support and developmental adjustments they need to be successful?
And sometimes the answer is a very enthusiastic YES. 🌻
