Preschool

Montessori & Traditional Programs

Blended seamlessly in the same room, our Montessori program is more organic and less focused on recording lessons in a notebook (see p. 1). This is ideal for most children - it covers all the academics and is priced competitively with most daycares. But each family and every child is different, and some choose our more traditionally structured program so they have the comfort of tracking day-to-day lessons more closely. The spontaneity lost as a result is relatively minor.

Either way, somewhere between 3 and 5 years old, most children develop “sensitive periods” during which they are really eager to explore sounds and numbers. Our environment is designed to stimulate and develop this natural phenomena; our teachers trained to till the soil, plant seeds, and nurture them while carefully observing the child. As the seeds sprout, the teacher continues to observe, guide, and direct as necessary. Academics rhythms develop in a relaxed, spontaneously manner, and the stage is set for a lifetime of true learning. By the time they are ready for kindergarten, the typical child in this environment is on the verge of becoming an emergent reader and writer.

To the degree that this burst of intellectual curiosity does not happen spontaneously, the teacher observes, guides, and tries to spark that inherent fire externally. Depending on the age of the child and a host of other variables, usually it’s wise to gently suggest and entice while troubleshooting the environment and approach. (When appropriate, we screen for possible dietary, sleep, or other external factors, and/or physical, social, or emotional elements that may need to be addressed. While we have tremendous faith that every child will eventually blossom, we temper it with the reality that early intervention can eliminate or minimize many problems.) But at some point with an occasional child, the right medicine is, “Come here, sit down, we’re going to have a lesson on counting.” There is no scientific formula to look up – it’s a case-by-case, parent/child/teacher-by-parent/child/teacher decision.