Primary Program
Our Primary Program is for ages 3-6
with students in a mixed classroom.
Absorbing Their World
Most educators and psychologists today agree that the single most important period of development of a person’s intelligence occurs between birth and age 5. A child’s mind is extremely absorbent and his curiosity is at a peak during these early years. When properly cultivated and awakened, the child’s mind forms schemas for learning that serve him well throughout his life. The stimulating Montessori system of preschool education is one of the most effective and fastest growing methods to guide a child through these critical years.
Our Primary program is for 3 to 6 year old children. We currently have a mixed 3 to 4 year old classroom with the Kindergarten separate, readying them to move onto a traditional school should they choose. In the near future we will be expanding our program to facilitate a mixed-age environment for all 3-6 year olds.
Primary children learn by doing. The concrete materials in the classroom allow the children explore the world through their senses, touch and motion; and by observing and engaging with others. Montessori education utilizes a hands-on approach to learning. Students work with expressly designed materials, manipulating and investigating until they master the lesson within. Teachers mentor students throughout the curriculum. As children are ready for each new challenge, they carefully instruct and then let the children practice on their own what they have learned. As children grow, the classroom materials grow with them. The older children use the same items to explore curriculum in more advanced and profound ways.
The 3-6 year old goes through an intense period of change. This includes the transition to cooperative play and more complex social interactions. There is also a language explosion leading to beginning skills in writing and reading. The emergence of number sense and the foundations of math occur. There are also great changes in physical development. The Montessori teacher responds to these social/emotional, cognitive and growth changes with appropriate lessons to support school 5 days a week. Our 3 year olds have 3 full days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 2 half days: Tuesday and Thursday. Our 4 year olds and Kindergarteners enjoy a full day of school.
The Kindergarten Year
Kindergarten, the crowning year of the Primary cycle, provides an exceptional occasion for 5 and 6 year olds to develop their leadership skills. Kindergarteners assume positions of responsibility that further strengthen their own capabilities and self–esteem by acting as positive peer models for their younger classmates. Everything the children have learned in the years before comes together in Kindergarten, giving children a keen eagerness to meet new challenges.
“We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.”