Montessori Education

Montessori Scotts Valley serves children using the philosophy and curriculum developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. Montessori education provides an education for life. Maria Montessori understood that education must begin at birth, and be holistic to meet physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of children. The Montessori Method helps the natural development of the individual from birth to maturity within the context of his or her life situation.

A Montessori environment is a child-centered environment in which children learn real life knowledge through active exploration with Montessori materials. In this prepared environment, the furniture and materials are child-sized and the aesthetic beauty and order of the room provide an environment where children are comfortable, safe, and excited to learn. The materials in a Montessori environment are specially designed to meet children’s unique developmental needs. The materials are self correcting, enabling children to understand their errors and successes through their own exploration, rather than adult interference. The mixed age groups provide a dynamic and real-life social environment in which children constantly practice social grace, and interact with each other as learners and teachers. Socialization and peace education is naturally built in to every day. The Montessori environment grants each child his/her right to develop according to his/her own potential, following individual interests and needs.

Maria Montessori understood the human tendencies for exploration and order, repetition and perfection, communication, work, and abstraction, and developed an education to allow the activation of those tendencies. The adults in the Montessori classroom serve as a link between the child and the environment to enable the natural unfolding of the child’s tendencies. Montessori saw the stage of development between 0 and 6 years of age as one in which the child has an absorbent mind, constantly activated by sensorial input, and constantly requiring movement to connect sensorial input with intellectual development. For this reason, movement is never restricted in a Montessori classroom.