Dr. Maria Montessori began her work with children in the early 1900s. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy and with her medical background began working with pediatric psychiatric patients in Rome. Through careful observation of those children, she began to develop an approach to working with preschool aged children that was revolutionary in her day. After achieving success with children previously thought uneducable, she began working with normal preschool aged children, and began to develop an approach to education and a body of didactic materials which are still used in Montessori schools today. Hallmarks of the Montessori method of education are:
respect for each child's individual path through recognized developmental stages of growth
the necessity of freely chosen activity within a prepared environment
close observation of children
a profound belief in the intrinsic human satisfaction in learning and growing which makes education reward enough, eliminating the need for external rewards related to achievement
She observed that younger children learned from older ones, who in turn derived pleasure and solidified their understandings by being a helper to younger ones, and thus grouped children in mixed age groups. In her schools the role of the adult, or teacher, became a guide to children, responsible for preparing and maintaining a rich, child sized environment, and for providing a link between the environment and the child in the form of carefully practiced lessons with the materials in the classroom. The Montessori teacher is available to provide needed help, and to establish and maintain appropriate emotional and social limits and guidelines.
Children's Garden staff and teachers see themselves as partners with parents in a team whose focus is to help children grow happily and healthfully. We welcome parent involvement not only in the form of fundraising, but in the classroom as well. We might ask for help with a project conceived by the children and teachers, such as creating costumes for a play done by some of our older children, or celebrating Chinese New Year. Grandparents and parents are welcome to visit the school. We schedule several family events throughout the year, but if you would like to schedule a visit, please contact the school.
We have a primary program for children aged 3 to 6 years, a toddler program
for children 18 months to 3 years, and an
extended primary/kindergarten program for
5 and 6 year olds. Each Montessori classroom
is led by a team of Montessori teachers who
have either trained with the American Montessori
Society or the Montessori Society Internationale.
The school includes an art studio (Zach's
Place) which is staffed by a full-time art
teacher, and is shared by all the classrooms.
Our art program is partly inspired by the
education philosophy developed in the schools
of Reggio Emilia, Italy, which we believe
can enhance a strong Montessori program.
