Dr. Montessori realized that children’s play is their work—their effort to master their own bodies and environment—and out of respect she used the term “work” to describe all their classroom activities. Montessori students work hard, but they don’t experience it as drudgery; rather, it’s an expression of their natural curiosity and desire to learn.
Although students are free to work at their own pace, they’re not going it alone. The Montessori teacher closely observes each child and provides materials and activities that advance his learning by building on skills and knowledge already gained. This gentle guidance helps him master the challenge at hand—and protects him from moving on before he’s ready, which is what actually causes children to “fall behind.”
Montessori schools teach the same basic skills as traditional schools, and offer a rigorous academic program. Most of the subject areas are familiar—such as math, science, history, geography, and language—but they are presented through an integrated approach that brings separate strands of the curriculum together.
While studying a map of Africa, for example, students may explore the art, history, and inventions of several African nations. This may lead them to examine ancient Egypt, including hieroglyphs and their place in the history of writing. The study of the pyramids, of course, is a natural bridge to geometry.
This approach to curriculum shows the interrelatedness of all things. It also allows students to become thoroughly immersed in a topic—and to give their curiosity full rein.
An advantage of the Montessori approach—including multi-age classrooms with students of varying abilities and interests—is that it allows each child to work at her own pace. Students whose strengths and interests propel them to higher levels of learning can find intellectual challenge without being separated from their peers. The same is true for students who may need extra guidance and support: each can progress through the curriculum at his own comfortable pace, without feeling pressure to "catch up."
We might note that from a Montessori perspective, every child is considered gifted, each in her own way. For every child has his own unique strengths—it is all a matter of degree.
Our school is ADA compliant.
For more information contact us or visit:International Montessori Foundation
No. Although StoryHeights Montessori was founded by and affiliated with StoryHeights Church, there is no religious education or bent in our curriculum or teaching style. We welcome people of all faiths to our school.
Great question! Admittedly, we are priced roughly 75 cents more per hour than our leading competition; however, our pricing ensures we are able to bring you the best-in-class quality of care and education your family deserves! Not only do we use our profits to help the poor, hurting and forgottenbut we also are proud to say that we pay our staff more than the industry standard, offer our staff non-standard benefits like health and dental insurance, extended paid time off, reimbursements for counseling services, and we invest in our employees' continuing education and career advancement.
We believe taking good care of the people who care for your child is crucial! It's a win-win for everyone!
In addition to how we care for our staff, you can be sure that we don't run our campus and equipment to the ground before replacing things. We keep our toys and supplies new so your child won't get bored. Our campus and grounds are professionally cleaned and maintained often, and we stay up to date on leading security technology.
We are confident you'll find our slightly higher prices worth every penny!
Children bring their own meals and snacks in every day. We do not have kitchens at our campuses.
No. What makes our school unique is that we are the perfect blend between a small family daycare and the larger institutional centers. Your child will enjoy the love of our small community but also experience the benefits of a larger school campus. Our business model is based on a small number of students (no more than 36 at each campus), but yet we're big enough to have to meet all of the staff ratio size demands of the EEC. Therefore, every child's tuition is very important to the overall success of the school.
You will love our Brightwheel Technology! You'll download the Brightwheel app on your smartphone, and your child will have an account. Our teachers will post videos/pictures of your child's day on your child's feed as well as sleeping and eating patterns. You'll be able to message with your child's teacher throughout the day as needed.
Our infant and toddler programs are a 30-day contract. As long as you give us 30 days' notice that you're leaving the program, then your enrollment deposit will be applied to your last month with us. Our primary program is a 10-month contract from September-June. Your enrollment deposit is held in escrow and applied to your absolute last month with us (not at the end of the school year).
Our infant/toddler programs are year-round with only a 30-day notice contract. The primary program is a 10-month contract (September-June), but we are open in July and August as well. The summer looks a little different for our primary program with a heavy emphasis on summer themes, outdoor play and summer experiences to give a break between the school years. The summer is divided into optional two-week sessions that you can choose as many or as little as you'd like to accommodate your schedule. We accommodate our current families first before releasing our summer camp weeks to the general public.