Stoneridge Children's Montessori School

The Toddler House Program is designed to guide the 21-month old to 36-month old child in his or her quest for independence by assisting the toddler in care of self and care of environment while supporting the toddler’s innate need for order, security, and exploration. Careful thought and attention to detail are evident in the preparation of the physical space, the preparation of the teacher, and the program itself. The Toddler House Program occupies a suite of indoor and outdoor rooms on the first floor of the new school building. The rooms are designed to provide a safe and structured, but home-like environment that assists the toddler in the task of self-construction. In addition to offering low windows, natural light, child-sized furnishings, and child-sized bathroom facilities, the Toddler House provides direct access to playground, gardens, and outdoors. Taken together, these rooms are prepared in a manner that provides the toddler with the opportunity to participate in all daily routines of care. The toddler teacher is a student of child development, a skilled observer who is fluent in both verbal and non-verbal communication, a guardian, and a visionary. In addition to being charged with the responsibility of preparing the physical space in a manner that meets the toddler’s developmental needs, the toddler teacher nurtures the toddler, fosters the development of trust within the toddler, and responds appropriately to the toddler’s requests for love, respect, and acceptance.

The Children’s House Program engages the absorbent mind of the 3- to 6-year-old child through self-selected work and constructive activity. Indoors, low shelves contain openly displayed manipulatives and make materials readily accessible. Small tables and chairs or floor mats define workspace, provide order, and offer the child the choice of working independently or in a small group. Outdoors, opportunities for exploration of the natural world abound as each classroom opens onto ground level, and children are encouraged to move freely from one space to another. Whether indoors or out, the classroom is a joyful place that supports the child in the task of self-construction and nurtures the child's sense of wonder. The materials in the classroom are divided into curricular areas that provide a depth and breadth of experiences. Each area is designed to assist the child in the development of concentration, coordination of mind and body, independence, order, and self-discipline. The practical life exercises involve care of self, care of environment, food preparation, and grace and courtesy. As the child works with practical life materials, small- and large-muscle skills improve, while the work reinforces the concepts of order and sequence. Further, the child prepares for reading and writing and develops a more positive self-image as he or she masters the simple tasks associated with everyday living. The sensorial materials develop the child’s ability to make finite discriminations through the use of the five senses. The child learns to identify, compare, contrast, categorize, and sort through observation and analysis of the physical characteristics of an object or an experience.

Montessori education continues into the child's elementary years, constantly building upon itself and changing with the changing developmental needs of the child. Maria Montessori wrote, "The successive levels of education must conform to the successive personalities of the child." As the elementary–aged child gradually moves from the concrete learning of Children's House to more abstract learning of the Elementary Program, Stoneridge Children's Montessori School meets the student's developmental needs each step of the way. Elementary education is characteristically a time for thinking, perceiving, and learning about the interconnectedness of things. With newfound interest in social relationships, the 6 to 12 year old child is transformed from an egocentric pre-schooler to a student of social interaction. Children of this age operate at a higher level of independent thinking that facilitates the development of logical thought and the ability to reason. It is this ability to reason that allows the 6 to 12 year old child to study facts and ideas in relation to each other. The skills that were first developed in Children’s House are enhanced and valued as tools for processing and sharing information. Languages like English and Spanish and the arts — whether music, visual arts, movement or dance — are not only studied in their own right, but also recognized as a means of communicating ideas and fulfilling fundamental needs of humans. Reading, writing, mathematics, geometry and science are tools within the child’s own culture that provide access to the supra-natura and bring the student new insight. Geography, history, botany, and zoology are presented in ways that give meaning and appreciation to the great order of the universe.