Our Programs

The Montessori Classroom Environment | Preschool Program | Kindergarten Program

Before & After School Care Program | Enrichment Activities

 

The Montessori Classroom Environment

Practical Life: The Practical Life area is where the child is introduced to the Montessori classroom environment. The child starts with transitional activities they have encountered outside of the classroom, such as bead stringing or spooning. This is where the child first experiences a work cycle that has a beginning, middle, and end as the activities have a distinct start point and a distinct end point. The child will move on to more complex activities where his/her skills, including gross motor, fine motor, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and equilibrium, can be refined. As the child practices these they are gaining skills that can later be applied to everyday life. For example a child who has mastered hanging a coat can now hang his/her own coat or even offer help to classmates. Practical Life is designed to develop independence, confidence, self-control and self-government. This area of the classroom offers opportunities for a child to explore activities that have real life application.

Sensorial: Through manipulation and experimentation with the environment children develop their senses. Maria Montessori designed sensorial materials to be manipulated by children in order to isolate and refine their senses. Sensorial materials are so valuable because they help the child to clarify and classify all of the impressions he or she receives from the environment. The sensorial sensitive period activities will stimulate and refine the senses and perfect their functions; the child’s perception of the world will become clearer as his mind becomes more ordered. It is the ordered mind, concentration and cognitive skills learned form these multi-sensory materials that will prepare the child for mathematic study.

Math: Mathematics is the language used to understand and express measurable relationships. The area of mathematics is included in the Montessori program because among other things, the child must know how to count, measure, and solve problems in everyday life. Perhaps the two most important differences between the Montessori math curriculum and other manipulative approaches are the depth and complexity of the materials, and the concept of the abstract verses the concrete. Our curriculum creates concrete examples of quantity, recognition of numbers and sequence. Concrete materials aid in the process of operations to easily reach abstraction. Through this, the child spontaneously moves into the process of memorizing tables (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). In this way, the order of the prepared environment, the sequential learning arrangement and manipulation of the basic sensorial materials help develop the mathematical mind.

Language: Humankind was once referred to as a “thinking animal,” but thoughts are nothing without words. Language is one of the greatest tools humans have created. Each student learns the value of letters and sounds, how to string them together to express their ideas through the written word, and the value of reading to understand and comprehend others. While use of language is the way humans communicate, it is more than mere communication. Language stirs creativity, and gives voice to imagination; it is a form of human expression. Language is more than words on a piece of paper or random sounds strung together, it is an instrument of collect thought.

Science/Geography: Children are naturally drawn into the world around them. Their curiosity about how things work drives them to find understanding. Through observation and experimentation with animals, space, nature, music, art and more our students arrive at conclusions to support and encourage their curiosity that will last a life-time.

 

Preschool Program (Top)

School is available to children ages 2 1/2 - 5.

This is a mixed-age group. Children spend 2-3 years in the same classroom. During this time they are learning not just about the materials and concepts, but they are getting to know their peers and teachers. They are learning courtesy and respect for each other and from one another, with time they become leaders and role models to their younger peers. This makes for a strong sense of community that forms the basis for a lifetime.

At this age, children learn by using their senses to explore the world around them. The Montessori classroom materials are designed to intrigue a child with beauty and engage them through their senses. As classroom Directors, teachers observe and gently guide the students with encouragement. Lessons are introduced during circle time daily and children are free to practice and explore what they have learned. As children grow in their understanding of the materials, they are able to extend their use of the materials in ways that continue to challenge them.

Children in this phase of development are experiencing rapid change and growth in cognitive abilities. This is a critical period for the development of language skills and acquisition of math foundations. Our teachers support each student’s individual growth and development with lessons to best suit their needs. This is all done while taking into consideration individual physical, emotional and social development varies as well.

 

Kindergarten Program (Top)

Kindergarten students are the oldest in their mixed age group. At this point in their development and learning with the Montessori materials, they have become the “experts”. They are working with some materials that are more advanced than the other groups, do more homework and have more in-depth science experiments. Kindergarteners dedicate time to reading daily, keep journal entries and work on weekly research projects. In their role as experts in the classroom, the Kindergarteners become leaders and role model to the younger students. This is an excellent opportunity for the children to develop leadership skills and refine their own behavior patterns. As they grow in a sense of responsibility, they increase in their self-esteem and solidify their existing knowledge and understanding of the Montessori curriculum. This gives children the readiness they need to meet new challenges and forms a foundation for life.


Before & After School Care Program (Top)

Before Care
Hours: 7:00am - 8:00am
Morning care activities may consist of group games, building blocks, reading centers and basic coloring/drawing activities.

After Care
Hours: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
After school children may participate in group games, outdoor play (weather permitting), board games, occasional movie/video, art activities and story time.

The before and after school care programs are designed to accommodate working parents. Children who stay for the after care program are offered a healthy snack between 3:30 and 4:00pm.

Before and after care activities are intended to be fun and relaxing for the children so this play time is unstructured. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children need this kind of activity daily for healthy development. In their clinical report on The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, they state that this type of unstructured play can help children develop creativity, discover their individual interests and passions and build their social skills. Children can decide for themselves what they think is fun and have a chance to practice decision making skills.


Enrichment Activities (Top)

Art: The visual arts give children the opportunity to find joy in self-expression by creating works with their own hands. Children find the ability to use their imaginations to make a work of art to be extremely satisfying. This is true because the process allows children to believe in and feel confident in their abilities. Whether they are cutting and pasting or painting, using markers, crayons or play dough, children are exploring color and relationship and are learning about design aesthetics. Art teaches children how to think creatively, critically and independently.

Music: Everyone knows that children love music but do you know that early musical training leads to brain growth and development? Studies have shown that musical training leads to left side brain development. This is the side of the brain responsible for processing language. Music has also been linked to the development of spatial intelligence in children. That is, the ability to visualize elements that go together. This is the type of skill necessary for advanced mathematical problem-solving ability.

Sign Language: We know that language is a critical part of early childhood development and that using multiple senses reinforces learning. When children are taught English and ASL simultaneously, they are processing language using both sides of their brains and research has shown that this increases effectiveness in knowledge retention. Verbal sounds are processed on the left side and the visual images used in ASL are processed on the right side. This gives the child two sources from which to recall what they have learned. So, it makes sense that teaching Sign Language to Preschool and Kindergarten students will strengthen their ability to learn and retain varied concepts. The children also find signing to be fun and often ask to learn how to sign new words.

Spanish: Studies have shown us that teaching children multiple languages at a young age literally expands the child’s brain and gives a foundation for language learning that lasts a lifetime. Children at this age learn new languages with an ease that can never be repeated as an adult. Learning a foreign language is also an opportunity to learn about another culture and people who may be different than we are and to establish an early desire to communicate with and make an effort to understand each other.

Tennis: Physical activity is essential to early childhood development. A strong fitness program contributes to a child’s overall physical, emotional intellectual and social well-being. Tennis, in particular, helps develop gross and fine motor skills, body and spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. Children also learn listening, cooperation and teamwork skills. Our Little Racquets program is fun and age-appropriate program with a playful, nurturing atmosphere.