Any information can be placed in the sidebar to help your website visitors navigate your site.General Overview Statement
My Friends Montessori Preschool Coop is a wonderful program for children 3 to 5 years old. I run a small (12 kids max.) Montessori preschool program from my home. Parents drop off Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:15-12, 12:15 -3 or 9:15-3. We have fieldtrips with the parents, younger siblings and students on Thursdays weekly from 10:00-1:00. Tuition is afforable and includes snacks, admission to field trips and yearly performances.
Teaching preschool has been my passion for the last 22 years. I actively engage the children in music, art, yoga, creative fun and phonics, reading and sensori-motor play. They receive an enriched education in math, art, music, reading and Montessori hands-on materials. Our field trips expose the children to new experiences and challenges. In my view, it's the way all preschools should be...fun and educational.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a model Montessori home and garden environment in which children receive an enriched preschool education in phonetic pre-reading skills, music, art, creative fun, nature, and self-care skills. In addition, parents will learn ideas they can implement at home. The field trips expose the children to new experiences and challenges. Our students become motivated self-learners and are provided with a warm nurturing atmosphere in which to develop into the wonderful person they are.
The Philosophy
The program is based on the Montessori philosophy of individualized tasks that build skills, confidence and self-esteem. We believe this is the best way to achieve our goal of motivated learners. Children are taught to be independent, responsible and respectful of themselves, others and their environment. All materials are hands-on manipulative with a built-in control that allows the child to accomplish the task easily without the teacher correcting them saying this is right and this is wrong. This independent learning style builds his/her feelings of accomplishment. This motivates the child to learn and master more difficult skills and increases his/her ability to concentrate for longer and longer periods of time. Children are drawn to the materials that they developmentally need to work on at that moment in time. In this way they select what is most important to their development for that day. All materials in the classroom are presented on shelves at their height. The children are provided with rugs and child-sized tables to work on. The teacher’s role in the classroom is to provide instruction on how to use the materials, keep the child focused on activities that he or she is successful with and encourage and present more challenging lessons when the child is ready for it. She keeps a careful eye on frustration levels to make sure a child is engaged and moving comfortably at his or her own pace. She encourages appropriate friendship interactions and encourages the children to help each other to build a strong sense of community. Often the children start interacting as a familial group toward the end of the year. Our main goal is to make sure every child feels special and is comfortable and happy.