Montessori: Toddler Program

The Environment

We divide the room into areas, to help focus the child’s attention and interests. There is a place to rest if needed; quietly and peacefully. The personal care space continues to focus on personal hygiene. We work on independent dressing and undressing skills, and may introduce toileting.

The eating area expands, and now includes a place for the children to help with preparation of the food they will eat. This area is rich in language, sensory input (ah, the smell of ripe strawberries, waiting to be cut!) and real experiences, with real tools, for a real purpose.

Our “living room” now holds shelves with carefully chosen activities that will match the developmental stages of the child. Shelves are rich with materials to encourage language development, art, music, and manipulative play. Everything is designed to help the child refine skills that are based on real-life activities..

Parent Collaberation

Particularly with this age group, working with the parents is of utmost importance. Whether our teachers are involved in giving prenatal information or helping parents to create a beautiful environment for their child at home, we provide support to make the infant and toddler years productive and happy for the whole family.

Our Goal

When all of this falls into place, we can:

provide experiences that stimulate the senses
enrich the child’s vocabulary and understanding of language
provide time for the child to repeat and master activities as long as it is productive
teach our children how to use tools in his environment such as eating utensils, brooms, sponges, etc.
give children the opportunity to learn, through the experiences, a sense of self esteem, self worth, and self confidence

Montessori used the phrase, “Help me to do it by myself”. Very young children working toward independence in eating, dressing and toileting, are really working toward what they want to do. We take each child as an individual, allowing them to go at his or her own pace, to achieve their independence.

Sometime between the ages of 2.5 to 3 years of age, your child will start to give us signs that he is ready to move up. His language skills will start to develop rapidly; he will express a growing independence in self care and other work; he will want to know what is outside of the Young Children’s Community!

He is now ready to transition to the Primary classroom, for children from the ages of 3 to 6 years.

Montessori: Primary Classroom

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

A Love of Learning Starts Here

The Montessori Primary program is an opportunity to nurture your child’s individual development within the context of a group setting. They will emerge with a set of skills – social, emotional and academic – while, more importantly, knowing how to function within a group.

Your child has extraordinary powers of mind; they possesses a once-in-a-lifetime ability to simply absorb information and concepts from her surroundings, like a sponge. The Primary classroom, for children between the ages of two and a half to six, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this crucial phase of her life. Her experience in the classroom affects not only on the amount of knowledge and skill she will have at her command, but, more importantly, her attitudes toward herself, her world, and learning. Montessori Primary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

Children are engaged peacefully and purposefully in a wide variety of activities.

Many parents are often surprised to see the calm environment of a Primary classroom; in fact, it is designed to help your child become her best self. We support his natural drive for independence by encouraging him to choose activities of interest, without interruption. The resulting feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction engender respect from the children towards others. Through “grace and courtesy” exercises, we teach children how to problem solve conflicts, how to act politely in various situations and how to be kind and helpful to their friends. The result is a cohesive community of young children.

It’s a mixed-age class.

Because the learning is individualized, your child can work at her own pace while participating in a mixed age classroom community. Younger children benefit from example, and learn from the activities of the older children, while each older child gains the self-confidence that comes with responsibility and leadership.

The children are very independent.

Often, children who don’t do things for themselves simply don’t know how or haven’t been given the chance. Here children have both. We carefully teach your child how to care for her own needs and provide opportunities to practice and improve. When she can successfully care for herself and the environment in which she lives, her demeanor becomes one of self-accomplishment and self-confidence

The learning takes place through the child’s own activity.

An AMI Montessori teacher is trained to introduce your child to many activities and concepts each day, based upon her unique development. The learning, however, is not so much taking place in the lesson, as it is through independent activity when she comes back to explore it, repeat it and perfect it.

The classroom is child-centered, not teacher-centered.

Unlike traditional classrooms, where your child is expected to pay rapt attention to the teacher, in the Primary classroom the teacher is trained to observe each individual child.

You won’t see a Montessori teacher standing in front of the classroom writing on a chalkboard, but rather down at your child’s level, engaged with her or a small group.

The curriculum is highly individualized.

The teacher is trained to recognize and respect the unique potentials operating within your child, and strives to connect him to the activity best suited to him at that moment. The art of being a Montessori teacher is in finding the activity that combines both interest and the right level challenge – not too hard and not too easy. In this classroom, your child will become engaged with an activity, increasing her ability to focus and concentrate.

A wide variety of beautiful, hands-on learning materials help children learn.

The scientifically designed materials help to develop a new skill or reveal a new concept through your child’s use and exploration. Some provide the opportunity to perfect the practical skills of caring for her own needs or for the classroom environment. Some enrich her vocabulary and open the door to writing, reading, and the parts of speech. Others build on your child’s natural interest in counting and introduce an understanding of the decimal system and the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Some encourage artistic self-expression through the introduction of skills and media. Use of the materials builds a foundation of concrete experiences of abstract concepts, such as mathematics, assisting your child to a deeper level of understanding.

While most of the morning and afternoon is spent in self-directed activity, there are also times in the day for group activities and play.

The teacher may gather a group for songs and stories about social, biological, geographical, and historical themes of interest and your child will have a choice to participate or continue on with his activity. Indoor classroom space extends to a safe and contained outdoor environment with gardens and activities, so your child can work outdoors. Most schools also incorporate an outdoor playground for large motor activity and play.

There is one trained Montessori teacher and one or two untrained assistants

An AMI certified Primary teacher has completed a rigorous one year graduate level course of study in child development and Montessori philosophy according to standards set forth by Dr. Montessori. He or she is trained to guide a classroom of 28-38 children. The untrained assistants in the classroom are available to help children if needed, but are instructed not to interfere with a child’s concentration.

Your child will stay in the Primary classroom for 3 years, including the traditional “kindergarten year”

Montessori is a continuum of education that allows your child to build upon his/her experiences each year. In the first year, the days will be filled with activities centered around “Practical Life”. Here, he learns to sweep the floor, bake bread, polish silver and clean the leaves of plants. He experiments with sensorial materials that educate his visual, auditory and tactile senses. He plays vocabulary sound games and sings and dances when children gather for group activities.

As the child continues, she is introduced to sounds and symbols which lay the groundwork for reading and writing in the future. She is introduced to numbers and the decimal system – with the most amazing concrete materials to show her the way. She learns about land and water forms, geometric figures, the political countries of the world; she learns about the parts of plants and animals and about music and art – at her own pace, in her own time.

It is during his third year (the traditional kindergarten year) that everything comes to fruition for your child. Reading, writing and mathematical understanding blossom from the many seeds that were planted in the previous two years. The child leaves the program with a strong set of academic skills; but, far more importantly, with the attitude that learning is fun, exciting and boundless.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

Montessori: Toddler Program

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

The Environment

We divide the room into areas, to help focus the child’s attention and interests. There is a place to rest if needed; quietly and peacefully. The personal care space continues to focus on personal hygiene. We work on independent dressing and undressing skills, and may introduce toileting.

The eating area expands, and now includes a place for the children to help with preparation of the food they will eat. This area is rich in language, sensory input (ah, the smell of ripe strawberries, waiting to be cut!) and real experiences, with real tools, for a real purpose.

Our “living room” now holds shelves with carefully chosen activities that will match the developmental stages of the child. Shelves are rich with materials to encourage language development, art, music, and manipulative play. Everything is designed to help the child refine skills that are based on real-life activities..

Parent Collaberation

Particularly with this age group, working with the parents is of utmost importance. Whether our teachers are involved in giving prenatal information or helping parents to create a beautiful environment for their child at home, we provide support to make the infant and toddler years productive and happy for the whole family.

Our Goal

When all of this falls into place, we can:

provide experiences that stimulate the senses
enrich the child’s vocabulary and understanding of language
provide time for the child to repeat and master activities as long as it is productive
teach our children how to use tools in his environment such as eating utensils, brooms, sponges, etc.
give children the opportunity to learn, through the experiences, a sense of self esteem, self worth, and self confidence

Montessori used the phrase, “Help me to do it by myself”. Very young children working toward independence in eating, dressing and toileting, are really working toward what they want to do. We take each child as an individual, allowing them to go at his or her own pace, to achieve their independence.

Sometime between the ages of 2.5 to 3 years of age, your child will start to give us signs that he is ready to move up. His language skills will start to develop rapidly; he will express a growing independence in self care and other work; he will want to know what is outside of the Young Children’s Community!

He is now ready to transition to the Primary classroom, for children from the ages of 3 to 6 years.

Montessori: Primary Classroom

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

A Love of Learning Starts Here

The Montessori Primary program is an opportunity to nurture your child’s individual development within the context of a group setting. They will emerge with a set of skills – social, emotional and academic – while, more importantly, knowing how to function within a group.

Your child has extraordinary powers of mind; they possesses a once-in-a-lifetime ability to simply absorb information and concepts from her surroundings, like a sponge. The Primary classroom, for children between the ages of two and a half to six, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this crucial phase of her life. Her experience in the classroom affects not only on the amount of knowledge and skill she will have at her command, but, more importantly, her attitudes toward herself, her world, and learning. Montessori Primary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

Children are engaged peacefully and purposefully in a wide variety of activities.

Many parents are often surprised to see the calm environment of a Primary classroom; in fact, it is designed to help your child become her best self. We support his natural drive for independence by encouraging him to choose activities of interest, without interruption. The resulting feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction engender respect from the children towards others. Through “grace and courtesy” exercises, we teach children how to problem solve conflicts, how to act politely in various situations and how to be kind and helpful to their friends. The result is a cohesive community of young children.

It’s a mixed-age class.

Because the learning is individualized, your child can work at her own pace while participating in a mixed age classroom community. Younger children benefit from example, and learn from the activities of the older children, while each older child gains the self-confidence that comes with responsibility and leadership.

The children are very independent.

Often, children who don’t do things for themselves simply don’t know how or haven’t been given the chance. Here children have both. We carefully teach your child how to care for her own needs and provide opportunities to practice and improve. When she can successfully care for herself and the environment in which she lives, her demeanor becomes one of self-accomplishment and self-confidence

The learning takes place through the child’s own activity.

An AMI Montessori teacher is trained to introduce your child to many activities and concepts each day, based upon her unique development. The learning, however, is not so much taking place in the lesson, as it is through independent activity when she comes back to explore it, repeat it and perfect it.

The classroom is child-centered, not teacher-centered.

Unlike traditional classrooms, where your child is expected to pay rapt attention to the teacher, in the Primary classroom the teacher is trained to observe each individual child.

You won’t see a Montessori teacher standing in front of the classroom writing on a chalkboard, but rather down at your child’s level, engaged with her or a small group.

The curriculum is highly individualized.

The teacher is trained to recognize and respect the unique potentials operating within your child, and strives to connect him to the activity best suited to him at that moment. The art of being a Montessori teacher is in finding the activity that combines both interest and the right level challenge – not too hard and not too easy. In this classroom, your child will become engaged with an activity, increasing her ability to focus and concentrate.

A wide variety of beautiful, hands-on learning materials help children learn.

The scientifically designed materials help to develop a new skill or reveal a new concept through your child’s use and exploration. Some provide the opportunity to perfect the practical skills of caring for her own needs or for the classroom environment. Some enrich her vocabulary and open the door to writing, reading, and the parts of speech. Others build on your child’s natural interest in counting and introduce an understanding of the decimal system and the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Some encourage artistic self-expression through the introduction of skills and media. Use of the materials builds a foundation of concrete experiences of abstract concepts, such as mathematics, assisting your child to a deeper level of understanding.

While most of the morning and afternoon is spent in self-directed activity, there are also times in the day for group activities and play.

The teacher may gather a group for songs and stories about social, biological, geographical, and historical themes of interest and your child will have a choice to participate or continue on with his activity. Indoor classroom space extends to a safe and contained outdoor environment with gardens and activities, so your child can work outdoors. Most schools also incorporate an outdoor playground for large motor activity and play.

There is one trained Montessori teacher and one or two untrained assistants

An AMI certified Primary teacher has completed a rigorous one year graduate level course of study in child development and Montessori philosophy according to standards set forth by Dr. Montessori. He or she is trained to guide a classroom of 28-38 children. The untrained assistants in the classroom are available to help children if needed, but are instructed not to interfere with a child’s concentration.

Your child will stay in the Primary classroom for 3 years, including the traditional “kindergarten year”

Montessori is a continuum of education that allows your child to build upon his/her experiences each year. In the first year, the days will be filled with activities centered around “Practical Life”. Here, he learns to sweep the floor, bake bread, polish silver and clean the leaves of plants. He experiments with sensorial materials that educate his visual, auditory and tactile senses. He plays vocabulary sound games and sings and dances when children gather for group activities.

As the child continues, she is introduced to sounds and symbols which lay the groundwork for reading and writing in the future. She is introduced to numbers and the decimal system – with the most amazing concrete materials to show her the way. She learns about land and water forms, geometric figures, the political countries of the world; she learns about the parts of plants and animals and about music and art – at her own pace, in her own time.

It is during his third year (the traditional kindergarten year) that everything comes to fruition for your child. Reading, writing and mathematical understanding blossom from the many seeds that were planted in the previous two years. The child leaves the program with a strong set of academic skills; but, far more importantly, with the attitude that learning is fun, exciting and boundless.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

Montessori: Toddler Program

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

The Environment

We divide the room into areas, to help focus the child’s attention and interests. There is a place to rest if needed; quietly and peacefully. The personal care space continues to focus on personal hygiene. We work on independent dressing and undressing skills, and may introduce toileting.

The eating area expands, and now includes a place for the children to help with preparation of the food they will eat. This area is rich in language, sensory input (ah, the smell of ripe strawberries, waiting to be cut!) and real experiences, with real tools, for a real purpose.

Our “living room” now holds shelves with carefully chosen activities that will match the developmental stages of the child. Shelves are rich with materials to encourage language development, art, music, and manipulative play. Everything is designed to help the child refine skills that are based on real-life activities..

Parent Collaberation

Particularly with this age group, working with the parents is of utmost importance. Whether our teachers are involved in giving prenatal information or helping parents to create a beautiful environment for their child at home, we provide support to make the infant and toddler years productive and happy for the whole family.

Our Goal

When all of this falls into place, we can:

provide experiences that stimulate the senses
enrich the child’s vocabulary and understanding of language
provide time for the child to repeat and master activities as long as it is productive
teach our children how to use tools in his environment such as eating utensils, brooms, sponges, etc.
give children the opportunity to learn, through the experiences, a sense of self esteem, self worth, and self confidence

Montessori used the phrase, “Help me to do it by myself”. Very young children working toward independence in eating, dressing and toileting, are really working toward what they want to do. We take each child as an individual, allowing them to go at his or her own pace, to achieve their independence.

Sometime between the ages of 2.5 to 3 years of age, your child will start to give us signs that he is ready to move up. His language skills will start to develop rapidly; he will express a growing independence in self care and other work; he will want to know what is outside of the Young Children’s Community!

He is now ready to transition to the Primary classroom, for children from the ages of 3 to 6 years.

Montessori: Primary Classroom

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

A Love of Learning Starts Here

The Montessori Primary program is an opportunity to nurture your child’s individual development within the context of a group setting. They will emerge with a set of skills – social, emotional and academic – while, more importantly, knowing how to function within a group.

Your child has extraordinary powers of mind; they possesses a once-in-a-lifetime ability to simply absorb information and concepts from her surroundings, like a sponge. The Primary classroom, for children between the ages of two and a half to six, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this crucial phase of her life. Her experience in the classroom affects not only on the amount of knowledge and skill she will have at her command, but, more importantly, her attitudes toward herself, her world, and learning. Montessori Primary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

Children are engaged peacefully and purposefully in a wide variety of activities.

Many parents are often surprised to see the calm environment of a Primary classroom; in fact, it is designed to help your child become her best self. We support his natural drive for independence by encouraging him to choose activities of interest, without interruption. The resulting feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction engender respect from the children towards others. Through “grace and courtesy” exercises, we teach children how to problem solve conflicts, how to act politely in various situations and how to be kind and helpful to their friends. The result is a cohesive community of young children.

It’s a mixed-age class.

Because the learning is individualized, your child can work at her own pace while participating in a mixed age classroom community. Younger children benefit from example, and learn from the activities of the older children, while each older child gains the self-confidence that comes with responsibility and leadership.

The children are very independent.

Often, children who don’t do things for themselves simply don’t know how or haven’t been given the chance. Here children have both. We carefully teach your child how to care for her own needs and provide opportunities to practice and improve. When she can successfully care for herself and the environment in which she lives, her demeanor becomes one of self-accomplishment and self-confidence

The learning takes place through the child’s own activity.

An AMI Montessori teacher is trained to introduce your child to many activities and concepts each day, based upon her unique development. The learning, however, is not so much taking place in the lesson, as it is through independent activity when she comes back to explore it, repeat it and perfect it.

The classroom is child-centered, not teacher-centered.

Unlike traditional classrooms, where your child is expected to pay rapt attention to the teacher, in the Primary classroom the teacher is trained to observe each individual child.

You won’t see a Montessori teacher standing in front of the classroom writing on a chalkboard, but rather down at your child’s level, engaged with her or a small group.

The curriculum is highly individualized.

The teacher is trained to recognize and respect the unique potentials operating within your child, and strives to connect him to the activity best suited to him at that moment. The art of being a Montessori teacher is in finding the activity that combines both interest and the right level challenge – not too hard and not too easy. In this classroom, your child will become engaged with an activity, increasing her ability to focus and concentrate.

A wide variety of beautiful, hands-on learning materials help children learn.

The scientifically designed materials help to develop a new skill or reveal a new concept through your child’s use and exploration. Some provide the opportunity to perfect the practical skills of caring for her own needs or for the classroom environment. Some enrich her vocabulary and open the door to writing, reading, and the parts of speech. Others build on your child’s natural interest in counting and introduce an understanding of the decimal system and the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Some encourage artistic self-expression through the introduction of skills and media. Use of the materials builds a foundation of concrete experiences of abstract concepts, such as mathematics, assisting your child to a deeper level of understanding.

While most of the morning and afternoon is spent in self-directed activity, there are also times in the day for group activities and play.

The teacher may gather a group for songs and stories about social, biological, geographical, and historical themes of interest and your child will have a choice to participate or continue on with his activity. Indoor classroom space extends to a safe and contained outdoor environment with gardens and activities, so your child can work outdoors. Most schools also incorporate an outdoor playground for large motor activity and play.

There is one trained Montessori teacher and one or two untrained assistants

An AMI certified Primary teacher has completed a rigorous one year graduate level course of study in child development and Montessori philosophy according to standards set forth by Dr. Montessori. He or she is trained to guide a classroom of 28-38 children. The untrained assistants in the classroom are available to help children if needed, but are instructed not to interfere with a child’s concentration.

Your child will stay in the Primary classroom for 3 years, including the traditional “kindergarten year”

Montessori is a continuum of education that allows your child to build upon his/her experiences each year. In the first year, the days will be filled with activities centered around “Practical Life”. Here, he learns to sweep the floor, bake bread, polish silver and clean the leaves of plants. He experiments with sensorial materials that educate his visual, auditory and tactile senses. He plays vocabulary sound games and sings and dances when children gather for group activities.

As the child continues, she is introduced to sounds and symbols which lay the groundwork for reading and writing in the future. She is introduced to numbers and the decimal system – with the most amazing concrete materials to show her the way. She learns about land and water forms, geometric figures, the political countries of the world; she learns about the parts of plants and animals and about music and art – at her own pace, in her own time.

It is during his third year (the traditional kindergarten year) that everything comes to fruition for your child. Reading, writing and mathematical understanding blossom from the many seeds that were planted in the previous two years. The child leaves the program with a strong set of academic skills; but, far more importantly, with the attitude that learning is fun, exciting and boundless.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

Montessori: Elementary

Source Content [MariaMontessori.com]

Learning How to Think

The Montessori Elementary program offers an unparalleled opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has been nurtured in the Primary program. He is entering a new period in his life; this imaginative, social, creative child needs a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The Montessori Elementary program, for children between the ages of six and twelve, is designed to meet the needs of your child in this phase of development. This experience will shape not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. Montessori Elementary classrooms across the world share the following traits:

The Montessori elementary is built on the foundations of the primary.

When your six year old comes into the elementary class from the Montessori primary, she will find much that is familiar in this new setting. The elementary classroom environment is beautiful and thoughtfully prepared to support independent learning; it is child-centered, not adult-centered. There is access to the outdoors and the kinds of learning that can only take place in nature. Many of the beautiful, inviting Montessori materials from the Primary classroom are also found in the elementary, where your child will use them in new ways suited to her expanding mind, and make her own discoveries in language, math, and science. Perhaps most importantly, the other children in the class have a similar background of being treated with respect and support, and have developed into confident, competent students.

The elementary “curriculum” is only limited by a child’s imagination

The goal of a traditional curriculum is to delineate what a child is supposed to learn. In Montessori, we want your child to be able to learn everything! The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons”; these impressionistic and scientific stories are presented every year and give the students the “big picture” of cosmology, astronomy, earth science, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Subsequent lessons offer the children keys for exploring these areas of human knowledge in more detail. As in the primary, the lessons are starting points for your child’s own activity. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own,

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively.

In the Primary classroom, your child was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with her own activity. Elementary children, however, are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, most of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon, but the motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori teacher models and supports constructive and respectful problem solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson with practical applications in the “real world” of high school, college and the professional workplace of the future.

Learn More

18 Months - Jr. High

Classroom Programs

TODDLER PRIMARY ELEMENTARYJR. HIGH

We welcome children 18 months - 8th Grade. There are four distinct classrooms based on age & readiness. Each classroom runs Monday - Friday and offers Full-day and Extended care options. For the younger children, there is also a Half-day option. Check out what suits your child best below!

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Toddler

Ages 18 Months - 3 years

Welcome

Our Toddler program is designed for children 18 months - 3 years old; a period Dr. Maria Montessori referred to as a “sensitive” time for movement, language and order. Children are focused on using their senses & bodies to learn about the world around them ... Read More

If you choose to make the *annual payment in full, a 3% discount will be applied. All monthly payments are due the 27th for the following month. There is a $35.00 fee for all payments received after the 1st of the month.

Schedule Option	Monthly Tuition	10 Mths*	12 Mths*
Full-Day	$950	$9,215	$11,058
Half-Day	$850	$8,245	$9,894

Late Pick-up:
Students picked up fifteen minutes after any dismissal time will be charged a $15 fee. Students picked up after 6:00 p.m. will be subject to a late charge of $l.00 per minute.

Sibling Discount
A family with two or more children will receive a 10% discount off the lowest tuition rate.

Enrollment Fee:
An enrollment fee of $200.00 is required for all new and returning students. This fee is non-refundable.

The school is open from 7am to 6pm M-F. Before-school Care is offered from 7am to 8:30am and After-school Care from 3pm to 6pm. During this time, the children can play on the playground (weather permitting), choose from an assortment of toys, draw, make crafts, and listen to stories. They also help in the daily school rituals (preparing the classroom for the day, feeding the animals, cleaning, etc).

Times	Monthly Fee
Before school care (7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)	$100
After school care (3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)	$250

For students not enrolled in the Extended Care programs, who need periodic extended care, the charge per child is $15.00.

Our Toddler program is designed for children 18 months - 3 years old; a period Dr. Maria Montessori referred to as a “sensitive” time for movement, language and order. Children are focused on using their senses & bodies to learn about the world around them ... Read More

Click the Download Button at the Top ( ⇧ ) to view the Schedule, Tuition, and Fees.

Schedule a Tour

Primary

Pre-School + Kindergarten (Ages 3 - 6 Years)

Welcome

Our Primary classroom (Pre-School + Kindergarten) has a well-balanced mix of children ages 3 - 6, as well as an ideal number of children to ensure social development. The child must be toilet-trained and will participate regularly in our outdoor environment... Read More

If you choose to make the *annual payment in full, a 3% discount will be applied. All monthly payments are due the 27th for the following month. There is a $35.00 fee for all payments received after the 1st of the month.

Schedule Option	Monthly Tuition	10 Mths*	12 Mths*
Full-Day	$850	$8,245	$9,894
Half-Day	$750	$7,275	$8,730

Late Pick-up:
Students picked up fifteen minutes after any dismissal time will be charged a $15 fee. Students picked up after 6:00 p.m. will be subject to a late charge of $l.00 per minute.

Sibling Discount
A family with two or more children will receive a 10% discount off the lowest tuition rate.

Enrollment Fee:
An enrollment fee of $200.00 is required for all new and returning students. This fee is non-refundable.

The school is open from 7am to 6pm M-F. Before-school Care is offered from 7am to 8:30am and After-school Care from 3pm to 6pm. During this time, the children can play on the playground (weather permitting), choose from an assortment of toys, draw, make crafts, and listen to stories. They also help in the daily school rituals (preparing the classroom for the day, feeding the animals, cleaning, etc).

Times	Monthly Fee
Before school care (7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)	$100
After school care (3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)	$200

For students not enrolled in the Extended Care programs, who need periodic extended care, the charge per child is $15.00.

Our Primary classroom (Pre-School + Kindergarten) has a well-balanced mix of children ages 3 - 6, as well as an ideal number of children to ensure social development. The child must be toilet-trained and will participate regularly in our outdoor environment... Read More

Click the Download Button at the Top ( ⇧ ) to view the Schedule, Tuition, and Fees.

Schedule a Tour

Elementary

1st - 6th Grade

Welcome

Our new Elementary program is designed for 1st - 6th grade. It offers an opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has a foundation in Montessori education and is entering a new period in his life known for burgeoning independence and potential ... Read More

If you choose to make the *annual payment in full, a 3% discount will be applied. All monthly payments are due the 27th for the following month. There is a $35.00 fee for all payments received after the 1st of the month.

Schedule Option	Monthly Tuition	10 Mths*	11 Mths*	12 Mths*
Full-Day	$800	$8,730	$9,069	$9,321

Late Pick-up:
Students picked up fifteen minutes after any dismissal time will be charged a $15 fee. Students picked up after 6:00 p.m. will be subject to a late charge of $l.00 per minute.

Sibling Discount
A family with two or more children will receive a 10% discount off the lowest tuition rate.

Enrollment Fee:
An enrollment fee of $200.00 is required for all new and returning students. This fee is non-refundable.

The school is open from 7am to 6pm M-F. Before-school Care is offered from 7am to 8:30am and After-school Care from 3pm to 6pm. During this time, the children can play on the playground (weather permitting), choose from an assortment of toys, draw, make crafts, and listen to stories. They also help in the daily school rituals (preparing the classroom for the day, feeding the animals, cleaning, etc).

Times	Monthly Fee
Before school care (7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)	$100
After school care (3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)	$200

For students not enrolled in the Extended Care programs, who need periodic extended care, the charge per child is $15.00.

Our Elementary program is designed for 1st - 6th grade. It offers an opportunity for the ongoing development of your child who has a foundation in Montessori education and is entering a new period in his life known for burgeoning independence and potential ... Read More

Click the Download Button at the Top ( ⇧ ) to view the Schedule, Tuition, and Fees.

Schedule a Tour

Jr. High

7th - 8th Grade

Welcome

Our new Jr. High program is designed for 7th and 8th grade. It is designed to help every adolescent successfully navigate an extremely transformative developmental phase in a person’s life — and enjoy doing it. Arrowhead is a school where it’s safe to grapple with social and emotional growth without fear; a school where teens can positively explore who they are and how they’ll contribute as adults.

If you choose to make the *annual payment in full, a 3% discount will be applied. All monthly payments are due the 27th for the following month. There is a $35.00 fee for all payments received after the 1st of the month.

Schedule Option	Monthly Tuition	10 Mths*	12 Mths*
Full-Day	$1080	$10,800	NA

Note: The fee for Jr. High does not include the 2 adventure trips each year. 3% annual discount does not apply either.

Late Pick-up:
Students picked up fifteen minutes after any dismissal time will be charged a $15 fee. Students picked up after 6:00 p.m. will be subject to a late charge of $l.00 per minute.

Sibling Discount
A family with two or more children will receive a 10% discount off the lowest tuition rate.

Enrollment Fee:
An enrollment fee of $200.00 is required for all new and returning students. This fee is non-refundable.

The school is open from 7am to 6pm M-F. Before-school Care is offered from 7am to 8:30am and After-school Care from 3pm to 6pm. During this time, the children can play on the playground (weather permitting), choose from an assortment of toys, draw, make crafts, and listen to stories. They also help in the daily school rituals (preparing the classroom for the day, feeding the animals, cleaning, etc).

Times	Monthly Fee
Before school care (7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.)	$100
After school care (3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.)	$200

For students not enrolled in the Extended Care programs, who need periodic extended care, the charge per child is $15.00.

Our Jr. High program is designed for 7th and 8th grade. It is designed to help every adolescent successfully navigate an extremely transformative developmental phase in a person’s life — and enjoy doing it. Arrowhead is a school where it’s safe to grapple with social and emotional growth without fear; a school where teens can positively explore who they are and how they’ll contribute as adults.

Click the Download Button at the Top ( ⇧ ) to view the Schedule, Tuition, and Fees.

Schedule a Tour

Extended Care

All Ages - Before & After School

Welcome

The school is open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday - Friday. As part of the extended care program, before-school care is offered from 7:00 am to 8:30 am and after-school care from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

During this time, the children can play on the playground (weather permitting), choose from an assortment of toys, draw, make crafts, and listen to stories. They also help in the daily school rituals (preparing the classroom for the day, feeding the animals, cleaning, etc).

Click the Download Button at the Top ( ⇧ ) to view the Schedule, Tuition, and Fees.

For children who need occasional extended care, the charge is $20 per day.

Schedule a Tour

Classroom Programs

TODDLER PRIMARY ELEMENTARYJR. HIGH

Toddler

Primary

Elementary

Jr. High

Extended Care

Toddler

Primary

Elementary

Jr. High

Extended Care

Enrollment Process

1. Review Our Programs

2. Schedule a School Tour

3. Apply for Admission

Our Leadership

Our Location

14801 N 83rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85381

Take Action

Toddler

Primary

Elementary

Jr. High

Extended Care