About Us

A Montessori Education

Montessori is an educational Philosophy based on the tenet that children learn best within a social environment which supports their unique development. In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori created "The Montessori Method of Education, " based on her observations of young children's behavior. Her dynamic theories included these premises:

1. Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who are different from one another
2. Children create themselves through purposeful activity.
3. The most important years for learning are from birth to age 6.
4. Children posess exceptional sensitivities and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment.

What makes a Montessori education unique?

The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach his or her full potential in all areas of life. There are three distinct characteristics to the Montessori classroom:

1. Materials,
2. Role of the teacher and
3. The prepared environment, which Dr. Montessori designed to be multi-sensory, sequential and self-correcting. Children naturally want to work with these materials, which allow them to check their own work with a built-in control of error. The materials help children understand abstract ideas presented in a very concrete three-dimensional way.

How Does It Work?

Each Montessori class operates on the principle of freedom within limits. Every programs has its set of ground rules which differ from age to age, but is always based on core Montessori beliefs respect for each other and for the environment. Children are free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on her observations of the children to determine which new activities and materials she may introduce to an individual child or to a small or large group. The aim is to encourage active, self-directed learning and to strike a balance of individual mastery with small group collaboration within the whole group community. The three-year-age span in each class provides a family-like grouping where learning can take place naturally. More experienced children share what they have learned while reinforcing their own learning. Because this peer group learning is intrinsic to Montessori, there is often more conversation language experiences in the Montessori classroom than in conventional early education settings.