Our Montessori Curriculum
Montessori at Heart
The Children's House of Columbia is an early learning center offering a Montessori program in which each child is respected as an individual, is encouraged to develop their total personality at an individualized pace and within an individual growth style. To see it in person, request a tour!
Through a rapidly changing times, our curriculum has remained relevant to the needs of children. Each student, respected as an individual, is encouraged to develop his/her total personality according to their personal growth metric and at an individual pace. Our school is committed to promoting the principles of balance and harmony, of respect for self and others, and freedom of choice. The curriculum is experimental and open-ended and the atmosphere is one of personal support and care. We stress the development of skills, concepts and values through the child’s own experiences.
Children’s House is neither a babysitting, or day care service, nor a playschool to prepare children for public school. Rather, Children’s House provides a Montessori curriculum that entails an unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child's early sensitive years when a child absorbs information easily from an enriched environment.
“Children acquire knowledge through experience in the environment.”
Why Montessori?
The Montessori method was developed by Italy’s first woman doctor, Maria Montessori, and it was based on the idea of preparing children to become life-long learners. Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways and strives to accommodate all learning styles.
In the “prepared environment” common to all Montessori classrooms, the child may choose work from our five core areas: practical living, sensorial education, language arts, mathematics, and culture. Our out‑of‑doors classroom is available to the child as an extension of the indoor environment.
Montessori Classroom
The whole-child approach: values cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development.
Teacher is a facilitator and guide; child is an active participant.
Uninterrupted work cycles, students choose when and for how long to work on each activity, many subjects are integrated
Teacher uses individual and small group instruction; personalizes instruction to meet individual needs.
A carefully prepared environment that encourages students to practice self-discipline.
Students have the opportunity to advance academically at their own pace and are given “freedom with limits”
Traditional Classroom
Approach is solely focused on acquisition of tested and age-determined knowledge
Teacher’s role is dominant; child is passive participant.
A certain block of time allotted for each subject, all students work on the same subject at the same time
Teacher uses mainly group instruction designed to meet the needs of the majority of the students.
Teacher controls the classroom and enforces discipline. Students are taught to stay quiet.
Teacher gives direct instruction to the whole class and to groups of students, based on a pre-determined curriculum
The Montessori classes include a toddler class for children age 2 to 3 years and preschool classes with mixed age groupings. A Kindergarten class for older children to the age of 6 is also offered. The ungraded aspect of our classes encourages social interaction between children and adults in a familial way, which nurtures respect for and appreciation of others. Each class is staffed by a certified Montessori teacher and one or more assistant teachers. Also, hear from current & alumni parents about Children’s House and our Montessori program!
