Monday, May 25, 2020

The Difference Between Public and Montessori Daycare

The Difference Between Public and Montessori Daycare

The Difference Between Public and Montessori Daycare - montessori daycare - Montessori West

The difference between Montessori daycare and public daycares can be tremendous. Certified Montessori daycares provide children with an organized and child-centric environment that is designed to engage children directly. It is a form of whole-child education that includes everything from fine motor skills to social interaction and academic education.

Montessori and Your Community

Montessori daycares are community schools. Parents are encouraged to take active roles in the Montessori Method, and we appreciate community support through the Arizona School Tax Credit. Your contributions help us achieve goals like funding our music program and providing other school programs. Taxpayers can support the qualified establishment of their choice and are not required to have an attending child to claim the credit. Your community benefits from well-funded educational facilities, and the AZ School Tax Credit allows citizens to make an active difference.

The Prepared Environment

The Montessori daycare is tailored around the children. From child-sized furnishings to decorations placed for the convenience of kids, the classroom creates a comfortable place for children to explore and learn. Through a variety of play-based activities, young children learn everything from fine motor skills to interacting peacefully with others. The underlying principle is that children are a blank slate and they will be eager to learn when given the tools to do so in their own way.

Focus on Individuals

Observation and guidance are at the heart of Montessori education. Instead of teaching the children the same material at the same pace, Montessori teachers pay close attention to the individual interests and activities, tailoring the early educational process around the child. This keeps children engaged and interested, encouraging them to enjoy the learning process. Self-paced learning also gives children the chance to spend more time on subjects that need more attention and move through areas that are easily grasped.

Some research says that children who begin in a Montessori environment have an advantage in kindergarten and beyond because they have already developed a love for learning and mastered the prerequisite skills. The underlying goal is for every child to become an educated and responsible young person.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Overview of the Montessori Planes of Development

Overview of the Montessori Planes of Development

Overview of the Montessori Planes of Development - Montessori preschool - Montessori West

Your Montessori preschool follows the Montessori planes of development to provide the best opportunities for young minds. The planes of development are divided into 4 distinct age groups, each group centered around a period of increasing absorption followed by a “cool down” period when the information is processed internally. These age groups, in turn, split into the mixed-age classrooms that Montessori education is known for.

The Absorbent Mind

From birth to around age 6, Montessori preschool children are discovering an entire world of new things. The first 3 years are spent absorbing new concepts and experimenting with how they work, while the second 3-year period applies those early concepts to personal and academic purposes. This is the time when children should be encouraged to learn about new things, try new flavors, or attempt new feats.

The Moral Mind

During a child’s second plane of development, social interaction becomes an important aspect of the world. This includes learning about empathy and thinking beyond one’s personal wants, as well as exploring concepts like problem-solving and diplomacy. Corresponding to the years of traditional primary schools, this period builds on the concepts learned during the first plane of development while a majority of actual development takes place in the form of physical and mental growth.

The Independent Mind

Beginning at around age 12, the third plane of development is when the young mind becomes an independent entity. Critical thinking skills, personal responsibility, and community involvement characteristics are introduced during the first half of the plane and then honed and improved upon during the 15-to-18 year period.

The Mature Mind

Between the ages of 18 and 21, young adults develop personal philosophies, social obligations, and moral characteristics they will carry throughout the rest of their lives. These traits are established during the first 3-year period of the plane, and then figuratively cemented into place during the second. By the age of 24, most people have developed their lifelong habits and routines without even realizing it has happened.

These planes of development can be witnessed in children as they grow, often in the form of periods of inquisitiveness followed by the experimentation and application of practice and repetition. Providing the appropriately timed encouragement will have profound impacts on your little one’s development.