The third year in the primary or 3 to 6 classroom is essential for your child to fully reap the benefits of being in a Montessori school. One of the biggest advantages is the amount of time a Montessori kindergarten student spends in school as opposed to other programs. Our children stay all day so hey can do their academic work as well as have time for art, practical life, and the outdoor environment. Even full-day public school kindergarten programs do not offer to learn for the full day; much of their afternoon is spent in rest time or recess.

Our student-teacher ratio is 1 adult for every 10 children. Most other schools have an average 1:25 ratio. Parent volunteers cannot substitute for trained and experienced Montessori teachers and trained and experienced assistants. We offer them music, art, and P.E. We also offer a very broad cultural area. While the typical kindergartner is learning about “me,” our kindergartners are learning geography, history, geometry, zoology, botany, astronomy, and more.

Many parents are also concerned that their children will be left out if they do not start kindergarten with the same group of children whom they will be in 1st grade with. With the mobility of our society, the average first grade class has anywhere from one-fourth to three-fourths new students in their classes. We live in a transient society. According to recent research, almost 80 percent of students n a kindergarten class will change schools before sixth grade.

The last major advantage is that your child works on their on level. When school begins in the fall, your child will be working where they left off in May. However, in a typical traditional kindergarten, instead of being at their own level, children will be grouped and taught what the teacher has decided to teach. Maria Montessori said that children can best learn a particular skill when they are ready to learn it. This is the time on which Montessori teachers capitalize in the classroom. Children may be presented lessons, but if they are not ready to learn the concept they will not learn it, no matter what the teacher does.

Your child is important to us in so many ways. Their personality and capacity to learn is a joyous gift to each of us. As always, our doors are open to you throughout the school year. Come in and ask questions!