Primary Preschool Program
We host a carefully prepared program for Children 2 ½ - 6yrs
Full Day program hours are 6:30am -6pm
Early Release program hours are 8:15am - 3:15pm
What we deliver at South Shore Montessori:
In our Montessori Preschool classroom, our highly trained teachers create a customized environment crafted to your child’s unique abilities, interests, and learning style. Main aspect of Montessori education is its hands-on approach to learning this fits really well with how Preschool children "learn by doing". Our concrete materials in the classroom allow children to explore the world through their senses, such as through touch and motion, and by observing and engaging with others.
Your child will stay in the Early Childhood classroom for 3 years, including the traditional “kindergarten year”: Montessori is a continuum of education that allows your child to build upon his/her experiences each year. In the first year, the days will be filled with activities centered around “Practical Life”. Children will experiment with sensorial materials that educate his/her visual, auditory and tactile senses. Children will play vocabulary sound games, sing and dances when children gather for group activities.
Why Montessori Philosophy is appealing to Our Preschool parents.
Parents value that the Montessori method develops the whole personality of the child, not merely his/her intellectual capabilities but, also his/her power, deliberation, initiative, and independent choice, along with their emotional complements. Children acquire these critical social qualities that form the basis of good citizenship.
Our parents like the fact that each child works at his/her own pace. Group work offers the opportunity for older children who have knowledge of certain topics to teach younger children. Teaching the child allows the other student to master the concept, while the younger child learns quickly from his peer with a positive mindset that if their classmate can do it, they can do it.
Another key aspect is that the child competes with himself/herself not others. The child is motivated by the love for learning as opposed to external pressures placed upon them by adults.
Our parents love our learning environment and have a trusted relationship with our highly dedicated and trained staff.
The Parent Perspective:
Teresa J,
"My children have attended SSM for nearly 3 years. They love it and have thrived educationally and socially. It is beyond the daycare experience. The teachers are passionate and caring and the school makes effort to train them in the Montessori method to build on their skills. The school has recently invested in updating the school building, school yard and work materials."
Norma H,
"We consider South Shore Montessori part of our family. My daughter has been attending since 2017 and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve watched her grow, learn, and gain numerous skills which she applies daily. The teachers at SSM have touched our lives and continue to impact her in positive ways. Our teachers challenge her with tasks and she looks forward to seeing them daily. As a parent I appreciate how the staff keeps in contact with our family- emails, calendars (filled with activities and friendly reminders), Brightwheel app, phone calls, and mail. Communication and transparency is important and the SSM staff is always willing to take a call, respond to a message, text, and email. We are grateful to have them as a part of our family. We love our SSM!"
Dr. Maria Montessori put it,
“treading always in the paths of joy and love.”
See what South Shore Montessori delivers to the child daily below.
How Preschooler's learn at SSM:
Outlined below is the summary of how Preschoolers learn at SSM.
Our Early Childhood Classroom encourages preschoolers to explore and discover, to collaborate with classmates, and to take ownership of their education while finding a pleasure of learning. The Montessori Method encourages self-directed learning that promotes self-confidence, independent thoughts, action, and critical thinking, while fostering social-emotional and intellectual growth all through a hands-on approach.
Our Montessori environment for preschooler’s gives the freedom to safely explore and learn through discovery. In a respectful and gentle way, SSM teachers support the child's innate natural development. Children begin building the foundation for who they will become. As children move forward, they will further develop the ability to concentrate and make independent decisions, along with developing self-control, grace, and courtesy.
Children have Uninterrupted blocks of time called "Work Cycle" that is allocated for children to work at their own pace and to fully immerse themselves in an activity without interruption. Your child’s work cycle involves selecting an activity, performing it for as long it remains interesting, cleaning up the activity and returning it to the shelf, and select their next work choice. This cycle respects individual variations in the learning process, facilitates the development of coordination, concentration, independence and most importantly Love for Learning. Our Early Childhood classroom offers your child 5 areas of study.
This approach to learning is “hands-on.” Dr. Maria Montessori believed (and modern science has affirmed) that moving, and learning are inseparable. In the prepared classroom, children work with specially designed manipulative materials that invite exploration and engage the senses in the process of learning. All learning activities support children in choosing meaningful and challenging work at their own interest and ability level. This child-directed engagement strengthens motivation, supports attention, and encourages responsibility.
The Montessori method develops the whole personality of the child, not merely his/her intellectual faculties, but also his/her power, deliberation, initiative, and independent choice, with their emotional complements. By living as a member of a real social community, the child is trained in those fundamental social qualities that form the basis of good citizenship.
Your child deserves the absolute best education and South Shore Montessori will deliver the trusted Montessori approach to your child while developing a lifelong love of learning. Our passionate staff is highly skilled, experienced, and certified, ensuring that we are delivering our promise, that your children are cared for at the highest level.
We embrace what is at the heart of the Montessori philosophy: following the child and aiding him/her with the preparation for real life. In our school, academic growth is seen as just one part of children’s healthy development. The method we use nurtures their social, emotional, and physical growth, ensuring that they are, as Dr. Maria Montessori put it, “treading always in the paths of joy and love.”New Paragraph
Work Cycle
Practical Life
Children learn daily-life skills, such as how to get dressed, prepare snacks, set the table, and care for plants and animals. They also learn appropriate social interactions, such as saying please and thank-you, being kind and helpful, listening without interrupting, and resolving conflicts peacefully. In addition to teaching specific skills, Practical Life activities promote independence, and fine- and gross-motor coordination.
Sensorial
Children refine skills in perceiving the world through their different senses, and learn how to describe and name their experiences—for example, rough and smooth, perceived through touch. Sensorial learning helps children classify their surroundings and create order. It lays the foundation for learning by developing the ability to classify, sort, and discriminate—skills necessary in math, geometry, and language.
Math
Through hands-on activities, children learn to identify numerals and match them to their quantity, understand place-value and the base-10 system, and practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They also explore patterns in the numbering system. With an exploratory approach, children don't memorize math facts; they gain a firm understanding of the meaning behind them.
Language
Activities throughout the Early Childhood classroom teach language, help children acquire vocabulary, and develop skills needed for writing and reading. While reading is recognized as very important at this stage, the ability to write is taught first as a precursor to reading. Using hands-on materials, children learn letter sounds, how to combine sounds to make words, how to build sentences, and how to use a pencil. Once these skills are acquired, children spontaneously learn to read.
Cultural Studies
A wide range of subjects, including history, geography, science, art, and music, are integrated in lessons in the cultural area of the curriculum. Children learn about their own community and the world around them. Discovering similarities and differences in people and places helps them develop an understanding and appreciation for the diversity our world, and a respect for all living things. Children have the opportunity to learn both Spanish and Mandarin from our diverse faculty.
Science
Montessori children build a basic understanding of the world they live in through group and individual experiments. Science cultivates their natural curiosity and thirst for exploration they develop the skills of observation, experimentation, along with critical and creative thinking.
Physical Education
Through exercise and play, your child develops the gross motor skills and proficiencies crucial to their physical development during this critical period. They build their hand-eye coordination through various sports and games, as well as their balance, stability and coordination, through yoga and dance. Outdoor time on our nature-inspired playground is an integral part of our daily schedule.
Social and Emotional Skills
Our unique private school curriculum believes in teaching children not only about core academic subjects, but also about how to build interpersonal skills and be good citizens. This is achieved through guided practice in self-awareness, emotional awareness, emotional regulation, respect for self and others, self-control, cooperation, and team building. Social skills come from not only understanding what to do with others, but also through awareness of why we do things and what their effect is on others and ourselves.
“THE GREATEST GIFT WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN
ARE THE ROOTS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND THE WINGS OF INDEPENDENCE.”
— Dr. Maria Montessori
Nurturing the Love of Learning
Our Learning Environment
Helpful Resources:
Parents' Reasons for Sending Their Children to Montessori
https://montessorirocks.org/top-5-reasons-why-montessori-works/
The Absorbent Mind | Montessori Teacher Training and Parent
Studies Shed Light on Merits of Montessori Education
