THE MONTESSORI METHOD

WHAT IS MONTESSORI:

The Montessori method, developed by Maria Montessori, recognizes that children are eager to learn and able to initiate their own education in a thoughtfully prepared environment. In the early 1900s, Maria Montessori observed the behaviors of children and determined that they are governed by a series of innate characteristics: exploration, order, repetition, self-perfection, and purposeful work. The Montessori approach recognizes that these driving qualities shape your child’s development; thus the education we provide responds to these very characteristics. 

Through the Montessori method, children are encouraged to act freely and construct their own path of learning within a prepared environment tailored specifically to their developmental stage. Additionally, each of our Montessori trained teachers provides your child with individualized attention as he or she explores their own innate developmental path. Unlike other daycares, the Montessori method instills children with skills that will serve them throughout the duration of their educational journey, as well as into all the years of their life. In fact, it is the mission of the Montessori method to nourish children at their earliest stages of development so that they will grow to become peaceful and prosperous members of society. As Maria Montessori stated: “Preventing conflict is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of education.”

WHY MONTESSORI:

A Montessori education will benefit your child in numerous ways, particularly because it is specifically tailored to your child’s unique skills and talents. Established over 100 years ago, implemented in cultures all over the world, and successes time tested, the Montessori method is proven to provide a world class education. Each child is encouraged to engage in a constructivist model of education, where he or she discovers concepts and ideas by directly working with materials that are thoughtfully placed about the classroom, within the child’s reach, and in accordance with his or her size. 

Your child will work with aesthetic materials found in nature, such as wood objects rather than plastic, as well as engage with nature both inside and outside of the classroom. As your child navigates his or her own way through a myriad of activities, a trained teacher will observe all behaviors in order to determine and track your child’s particular strengths and innate talents. This specialized and focused attention for your child will allow them to reach their full potential at the very earliest stages of their education.

THE MONTESSORI METHOD:

When your child steps into a Montessori classroom, he or she will be greeted with low, inviting shelves all within their reach, filled with thoughtfully planned and engaging materials. There will be a variety of stations for your child to explore, each one tailored to promote the absorption of a specific lesson, whether it be “dressing frames” that teach toddlers how to zip clothing, or wooden blocks that encourage construction, or clothespins that teach motor skills and improve dexterity. Stations with realistic food and cutting boards, ceramic cups and pitchers, bowls and spoons provide real life objects that nurture motor skills, imagination, and concepts. 

The Montessori classroom is designed to meet the needs of every child, with stations

that have wooden tables and chairs custom-made to fit the height of children. These areas are equipped with paper, pencils, crayons, paint, and scissors so that they may work on projects in social settings, allowing them to work with peers, learn essential social skills, help their peers, and be respectful of others’ work. Then, in more quiet recesses of the room are areas where your child can go read independently or work in a solitary fashion so as to cultivate a sense of self- sufficiency, as well. 

The room is designed for your child to move from activity to activity, and the sheer variety of beautifully designed materials invite your child to choose and be the captain of his or her educational journey. Carefully overseen by a trained teacher, your child will engage with both the teacher, the environment, and his or her peers in a way that will teach harmony and positive engagement with the world, values that will last throughout their lifetime.