Frequently Asked Questions
The name Montessori is not copyrighted and, therefore, can be used by anyone. Unfortunately, many schools use the name Montessori even though they do not implement the Montessori methods of education. The American Montessori Society identifies five core components for Montessori schools: trained Montessori teachers, multi-age classrooms, use of Montessori materials, child-directed work, and uninterrupted work periods. Brookeside Montessori has been an Associate Member of the American Montessori Society since 2003. In June of 2019 Brookeside Montessori began the American Montessori Society’s program Pathway to Continuous School Improvement which will lead to Brookeside becoming a fully accredited Montessori school.
At each level, Montessori programs are designed to address the developmental characteristics normal to children in that stage. A group of children of mixed ages working and playing together in the same room allows everybody to learn at their own pace. First year students enter the classroom as a novice and benefit from observing the experienced students. The older children help the younger ones and sharing what they have learned reinforces their knowledge and skill at the same time. This mentoring builds leaders in our classrooms and gives students skills to become leaders in the community. A healthy community consists of a mix of ages and abilities. They learn how to get along together, to respect each other’s rights, and to share the environment and its resources. The Montessori environment emphasizes cooperation, not competition.
There are many different early childhood programs available to parents. We invite you to take a tour of our school to compare. Brookeside Montessori is education, not daycare. Several key elements of the approach meet the educational goals today’s parents have for their children, including growing into capable people who will have a strong sense of self, the ability to connect with others, and the potential to be productive throughout their lives. With Montessori, that growth starts early. The early years are a critical time to set a strong foundation for who a child will become and the role she or he will play in the future. Before the age of six years, much of a child’s intelligence and social characteristics are formed. It has been said that 50% of the child’s mental development occurs before the age of 4 years. Children with a Montessori background become better prepared to cope with the complex challenges of tomorrow’s world.
Two- and three-day programs are often attractive to parents who do not need full-time care; however, five-day programs create the consistency that is so important to young children and which is essential in developing strong Montessori programs. Since the primary goal of Montessori involves creating a culture of consistency, order, and empowerment, most Montessori schools will expect children to attend five days a week. At Brookeside Montessori our early childhood program is five days a week, but we offer the flexibility of either half days or full days.
There is a small but growing body of well-designed research comparing Montessori students to those in traditional schools. These suggest that in academic subjects, Montessori students perform as well as or better than their non-Montessori peers. In one study, for example, children who had attended Montessori schools at the preschool and elementary levels earned higher scores in high school on standardized math and science tests. Another study found that the essays of 12-year-old Montessori students were more creative and used more complex sentence structures than those produced by the non-Montessori group. The research also shows Montessori students to have greater social and behavioral skills. They demonstrate a greater sense of fairness and justice, for example, and are more likely to choose positive responses for dealing with social dilemmas. By less stringent measures, too, Montessori students seem to do quite well. Most Montessori schools report that their students are typically accepted into the high schools and colleges of their choice. And many successful graduates cite their years at Montessori when reflecting on important influences in their life.