Ages of Children in a Montessori Preschool

The Montessori preschool is designed to meet the developmental needs of children between the ages of 2.5 and 6.

According to licensing regulations, a child must be at least 30 months when s/he starts preschool and must turn 3 by Dec. 31 of the year in which s/he starts preschool. Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori accepts new children up until the age of 48 months. Once the children are in their Kindergarten year (i.e. the school year they turn 5) they have the option of staying for a full day Kindergarten program from 8:45-3:00pm.

In a Montessori classroom, the children are not segregated by age. That is, all the children work together in the same room. This mixing of ages is very beneficial to the children: the younger children are inspired by the achievements of the older children and the older children have the opportunity to be leaders and even teachers of the younger ones. Children often learn best from their peers so it makes sense that they interact with one another.

Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori's Mission Statement

Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori provides preschool children with high quality, developmentally appropriate, Montessori materials in a safe, stimulating, warm, and creative environment in order to facilitate the acquisition of independence, self-mastery, self-confidence, concentration, perseverance, pre-academic and good social skills. Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori recognizes that all children love to learn but that each child is an individual and learns in different ways. The school allows children to learn at their own pace, in their own ways, and ensures that the natural love of learning stays with the children throughout their lives.

What's Special About Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori?

Monkey See Monkey Do Montessori complements the Montessori curriculum with other artistic and athletic opportunities. For example, each class has 1 hour per week of gymnastics/ dance in the gym (Laurie has taken dance classes since she was a child and coached gymnastics for 5 years; Paige is a yoga instructor). The children always have access to drawing, gluing, and cutting exercises; as well, they do seasonal craft projects and organize parties for special occasions (such as Christmas and Mother's Day).

The children have the opportunity to spend time outdoors. The directresses frequently take the children out for walks around the neighbourhood. The directresses also frequently take the children to the playground across the street at the elementary school. Finally, there is a shared small garden and sandbox behind the preschool where the children may plant and care for flowers/ vegetables.