Infant care is a necessary part of life for most households, and the type of care ranges from dedicated family members to preschool, but a key trait of all experienced infant care approaches is that they employ some of the fundamental traits of the Montessori Method. With this in mind, the best place to begin looking for infant care may be in authentic Montessori schools themselves.
The Best Time for Enrollment
As soon as you are ready, Montessori preschool is available. Childhood development experts suggest that enrollment before the age of 7 months is best because children enter a phase when they are wary of strangers between 7 months and 1 year. Your kids can still be enrolled during this period, but may not adapt to the Montessori environment as quickly as they would if they were enrolled sooner.Engagement Without Overload
Children can be overwhelmed with sensory input, leading to reduced performance, or resistance to appropriate behavior. Montessori addresses this phenomenon by limiting the amount of sensory input children experience, specifically by using activities that only impart limited information when it is used. Sensory input does not mean that only one form of development is being addressed, only how much data needs to be absorbed for that particular activity. Children are still working on fine motor skills, language development, and other early skills, a Montessori trait that continues throughout the educational process.Montessori is a Prepared Environment
Montessori infant care facilities begin with lots of open spaces. The rooms and furniture are designed for small bodies, with accessible sleeping areas spaced for easy access by the children. Montessori daycare never uses cribs or playpens because children are expected to sleep or be active as they choose rather than according to arbitrarily assigned times. From hanging artwork at a child's eye level to well-designed developmental activities, everything about the Montessori preschool is about the children themselves.Developmental Freedom
One of Maria Montessori's early observations was that children need to have the freedom to move if they are going to develop appropriately. To this end, classroom activities are well-spaced, children receive frequent access to an outdoor environment, and every child is allowed to move relatively freely from one activity to another at their own discretion. Far from producing chaos, this freedom of choice creates a quiet, motivating environment where children busily explore their world as they develop important physical, emotional, and mental skills.There are many types of infant care available, but only authentic Montessori schools use the Montessori Method, prepared environment, and careful observation that have been proven to impart fundamental fine motor skills, social skills, and academic fundamentals such as language, science, and math.
