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A recent "Parent to Parent" column about choosing a play-based preschool that fits your child inadvertently dismissed Montessori as an option to consider.
"Montessori is the ultimate play-based program," Katy Allen of Atlanta said in response to the column. She has been a Montessori teacher for 15 years and says she was a product of the Montessori method.
Montessori is structured but not rigid, she says. Children of all ages crave that structure and have a need for order. Montessori is designed to be flexible as the child makes choices and moves along at his own pace.
More than 100 years ago, Italian pediatrician Maria Montessori developed the methods that bear her name: Letting children learn at their own pace, choosing what they'll explore and working in real-life settings.
She developed teaching styles keyed to the way children naturally approach their world, such as tending a garden outside the classroom, at child-size sinks and counters, and choosing when they are ready to serve themselves snack at a table for four.
Eduardo Cuevas, who has trained Montessori teachers for more than 30 years, says parents are a vital part of the schools.
"To make the most of the child's Montessori experience, it is imperative that parents are consciously involved in the process," he said.
When visiting a Montessori school, Allen says, look for children who are happy and therefore have inner discipline. They also move about the room freely and choose what they would like to do.
In a room that matches the Montessori method, the shelves are filled with age-appropriate, hands-on activities. For the children, their play is their work. They are learning through their senses, using specially designed materials.
Art in the Montessori curriculum, similar to other play-based preschools, focuses on encouraging creativity while strengthening fine-motor skills and concentration. Art is a free area, not a teacher-directed process. The children are given paints, scissors, glue and pencils.
The philosophy isn't just for public and private preschools. The trend has expanded to older students as well.
The first step in finding the right school for your child is to look at the school's philosophy, talk to the administrators and ask about the certification of the teachers. From there, visit a classroom while the kids are present.
