Montessori Parent Guide 3 – 6 Years
What do you need to know to choose a Montessori education for your preschool child?
Choosing an education for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent/whānau. You may have made the choice to immerse your family/whānau in the Montessori method of education. But what now?
Montessori is a philosophy. There is diversity within the Montessori community worldwide and each early childhood centre is unique, reflecting its interpretation and practice of Montessori philosophy, Montessori training of kaiako (teacher(s)), the staff, family/whānau, the facilities, resources available and the vision of the early childhood centre (centre).
Parents frequently ask:
How do I know if it is really Montessori?
What are the essential elements of Montessori education?
What should you be looking for when you are considering a Montessori education for your young child?
Montessori Aotearoa New Zealand has produced this Parent Guide to help you better understand Montessori education and to find answers to your questions about Montessori.
You can read your Parent Guide online:
This Parent Guide is in four sections
- Vision and Leadership
- The Learning Environment
- The Kaiako (teacher)
- The Community
- In each section we have identified the following:
- Essential Elements are provided to help you better understand what Montessori can offer your infant/toddler. These elements are aligned to the Montessori Journey to Excellence Te Ara Ki Huhuatanga (MJ2Ex): Essential Elements.
- What it looks like examples are given of how each Essential Element may ‘look’ in practice.
- Questions to ask staff some questions you could ask the staff to gain further insight.
- Questions to ask yourself by observing in a Montessori early learning centre you can answer some of your own questions.
This Parent Guide may help you answer the question ‘Can Montessori education establish a profound emotional, spiritual and academic base for my child at this stage of their life?’
