Q. Why should I send my child to preschool?
A. Most educators and psychologists today agree that the single most important period in the development of a person's intelligence occurs between birth and age five. A child's mind is extremely absorbent and his curiosity is at a peak during these early years. When properly nourished and stimulated, the child's mind form patterns for learning that serves them well thoughout their life. The Montessori system of preschool education has proven to be one of the most effective and fastest growing methods to guide a child through the critical years.
Q. What is the difference between day care, nursery school and preschool?
A. Day care centers are generally for the purpose of caring for children on an all-day basis. Nursery schools are generally experiences in socialization and play. Preschools are oriented toward educational experiences combined with socialization and play.
Q. How is Montessori preschool different from other preschools?
A. In most preschools a teacher teaches the children educational concepts in a group. In a Montessori preschool the children learn concepts spontaneously as they work independently with the many materials in the environment.
Dr. Montessori has recognized that the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation of the child. Children move themselves towards learning. The teachers role is to:
- prepare the environment
- direct the activity
- function as the authority
- offer the child stimulations
It is the child who learns, who is motivated through work itself (not solely by the teacher's personality) to persist in a given task. If the Montessori child is free to learn, it is because they have acquired form exposure to both physical and mental order, an "inner discipline."
This is the core of Dr. Montessori's philosophy. Patterns of concentration, persistence, and thoroughness, established in early childhood produces a confident, competent learner in later years.
Schools have existed historically to teach children to observe, think, and to judge. Montessori introduces children to the joy of learning and an early age and provides a framework in which intellectual and social disciplines go hand in hand.
