Primary (3 – 6 years old)
Dr. Montessori identified four distinct periods of growth, called the Planes of Development. They are approximately 0-6 years, 6-12 years, 12-18 years, and 18-24 years. Within each six year period, there are two, three-year cycles.
The basic concept is that we move through cycles of development, building upon, and perfecting, that which came before. And every few years, we start out again as a beginner in a new phase of development. We do that over and over again until our adult brains are fully developed. And even then, if we’re doing it right, we keep learning, growing, as we age.
The Primary class program offers a mixed-age classroom environment for children approximately 3 to 6 years old, including Kindergarten. Children use concrete materials to learn math; movable alphabet letters to explore language; and cubes, cylinders and other objects to categorize, find spatial relationships and more. The materials and lessons introduced have a purpose, build upon previous knowledge and usually have some form of control of error (so the child knows on their own if they have done it correctly).
As with all Montessori curriculum, kindergarten supports the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of the child. Teachers encourage students to explore and use materials at their own developmental level and pace. The teachers thoughtfully prepare the classroom environment to invite curiosity and stimulate learning. By making independent choices, the child develops self‐ motivation, self‐regulation, and problem-solving skills. Children move from the concrete to the abstract through manipulating, experimenting, and discovering. Teachers find many opportunities to refer children to one another; adults support students’ spontaneous cooperative efforts.
Toddler (18 months – 3 years old)
The Toddler class program is designed to meet the growing needs of children ages 18 months – 3 years of age. The classroom is a carefully prepared environment in which children can explore with all of their senses to meet their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs. As they explore, toddlers learn independence and follow their interests.
Dr. Montessori was one of the first educators to recognize the first few years of a child’s life as critical to the development of personality and intellect. Toddlers are actively seeking out information, they learn quickly and easily, and are especially interested in demonstrating independence. Our toddler classrooms allow them the freedom to learn as much as they can, as quickly as possible.
One of the most important ways a toddler learns to be independent is using the toilet on his own. Our staff know the signs that a child is ready, and how to motivate them to learn. This is also where the mixed-age classroom comes into play, because the older children set an example and inspire the younger children to try — which is much more motivating than anything an adult can say or do.
Wee Bits (12 – 20 months old)
The Montessori method offers an approach to early childhood education that has been proven to cultivate critical learning capabilities, problem-solving, and creativity for more than 100 years. More than a daycare, our young toddler program, “Wee Bits”, focus on specific objectives for each stage of development to help every child thrive.
The Wee Bits class is for children ages 12 – 20 months old. With no more than eight children in the classroom and two staff members, the children are given the love and guidance to explore the classroom materials, engage in social interactions and build physical and fine motor skills both inside and outside.
In our Wee Bits program, your child strengthens their attention span, begins to understand functional relationships, and learns basic qualities of environment. They build their cognitive function by observing people and things from various perspectives and apply learned skills in new situations. They build the foundations for mathematical comprehension through early quantity and number concepts, including filling and emptying, putting in and taking out, taking things apart, and putting things back together. Finally, they identify familiar objects, build their active listening skills, and improve communication through gestures and language.
