What is Experience Toddler?
Experience Toddler is a research-based curriculum designed for children 18 through 36 months. Each month, a complete curriculum kit arrives at your program — including lesson plans, hands-on materials, caregiver guides, and family engagement tools — everything you need to support the rapid development happening in your toddler room.
Toddlers are natural explorers. Experience Toddler’s monthly kits are organized around developmentally rich themes that channel toddlers’ curiosity, mobility, and emerging language into structured learning experiences. Activities range from 5–15 minutes and are designed to work within the natural rhythms of a toddler classroom.
Experience Toddler recognizes that toddler learning happens through play, movement, and repetition — not sit-down instruction. Activities are designed to be embedded into daily routines, transitions, and free play, with clear caregiver language prompts that turn every moment into a learning opportunity.
What’s in each kit
- 4 weeks of daily lesson plans
- Hands-on learning materials (toddler-safe)
- Music and movement activity guide
- Caregiver language prompts card
- Family engagement take-home materials
- Observation and documentation prompts
- Brightwheel digital activity companion
Developmental focus
- Emerging independence and autonomy
- Vocabulary explosion and two-word phrases
- Gross motor: running, climbing, jumping
- Fine motor: stacking, sorting, early mark-making
- Parallel and early cooperative play
- Emotional expression and early self-regulation
- Cause-and-effect and early problem solving
Why Experience Toddler is a strong fit for Michigan programs
Michigan’s ECSQ-IT is one of the most detailed infant-toddler standards frameworks in the country. Experience Toddler’s structured approach maps well to ECSQ-IT competency areas.
Great Start to Quality (1–5 stars) is Michigan’s QRIS. GSQ ratings affect eligibility for enhanced Child Development and Care subsidy rates.
Michigan licensing and ratio context
Michigan’s 1:4 toddler ratio provides a framework for meaningful small-group learning. Experience Toddler’s activity design is built for real toddler classroom conditions: activities can be run with small groups or individually, require minimal prep, and are structured to work within typical toddler schedules and attention spans.
Developmental domains covered in Experience Toddler
Experience Toddler integrates all eight developmental domains from Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework, with activities calibrated specifically for the 18–36 month age range. Every monthly kit embeds 2–3 skills into each activity — supporting whole-child development through play-based learning.
Experience Toddler activities map to specific MI ECSQ-IT developmental levels across all domains. An alignment document maps every activity-to-MI ECSQ-IT-indicator match, supporting documentation requirements for Michigan’s GSQ system.
What arrives each month
Each Experience Toddler kit is organized around a developmentally appropriate monthly theme. Here’s a sample of what a program year looks like.
Me and My World
Self-awareness and community theme exploring identity, family, and classroom community. Emphasis on language development, early social skills, and name recognition.
Animals Everywhere
Animal-themed science exploration with safe textures, animal sounds, and movement games. Supports early classification, vocabulary, and gross motor development.
Friends and Feelings
Social-emotional focus on identifying and expressing emotions, sharing, and early empathy. Supports self-regulation and language for emotions.
Growing Things
Spring science theme with planting, observation, and nature exploration. Supports early math concepts, fine motor skills, and scientific inquiry habits.
Experience Toddler and brightwheel: a complete solution
Experience Curriculum is now fully integrated with brightwheel, the #1 childcare management platform. For Michigan programs already using brightwheel for billing, attendance, and family communication, adding Experience Toddler creates a seamless curriculum-to-documentation workflow.
Document as you teach
Educators can log observations directly in brightwheel during or immediately after activities. Notes link to developmental milestones and build each child’s portfolio automatically.
Keep families connected
Parents receive real-time photos, videos, and activity updates through brightwheel. Experience Toddler family take-home content can be shared digitally, keeping caregivers at home aligned with the classroom.
For programs documenting Michigan MI ECSQ-IT observations, brightwheel’s milestone tagging and note-taking features significantly reduce paperwork. Documentation can be exported for GSQ reporting or family conferences.
Questions about Experience Toddler in Michigan
Is Experience Toddler aligned to Michigan’s MI ECSQ-IT early learning standards?
Yes. Experience Toddler is formally aligned to Michigan’s Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler Programs (MI ECSQ-IT). An alignment document maps each Experience Toddler activity and skill to specific MI ECSQ-IT measures and developmental levels.
Can Experience Toddler help my Michigan program achieve a higher GSQ rating?
Many Michigan programs find that using a structured, research-based, MI ECSQ-IT-aligned curriculum supports their GSQ rating. Experience Toddler’s built-in observation tools and documentation features support rating requirements. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your local childcare resource agency.
How does Experience Toddler work for a 1:4 toddler ratio classroom?
Experience Toddler is designed for toddler care realities, including Michigan’s 1:4 ratio. Activities range from 5–15 minutes and are designed to work in small group and individual settings, with simple setup and clear caregiver guidance.
What is the cost of Experience Toddler for Michigan childcare programs?
Experience Toddler pricing is based on program size and the number of children served. Michigan programs may also qualify for subsidized pricing if serving children through state-funded programs. Pricing details and a free tour are available through the brightwheel website.
Does Experience Toddler support dual-language learners in Michigan?
Yes. Experience Toddler includes family engagement materials and caregiver guides that support dual-language learners. Michigan programs serving diverse communities will find that Experience Toddler’s culturally responsive materials and family take-home resources support children’s home languages alongside English development.