"The child who has felt a strong love for his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction."

~Maria Montessori

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that the goal of early education was to cultivate the child's natural desire to learn rather than simply filling him or her with preselected facts. A Montessori classroom approaches this objective by allowing each child to experience the excitement of learning by choice and by helping to perfect the child's natural tools for learning to maximize his or her ability to learn in future situations.

Each classroom at the Children's House Montessori School is carefully designed to put children at ease and making learning accessible and fun. The curriculum for the different programs, Toddler, Primary and Elementary, is designed to address the child's developmental needs for that age group.

• The Toddler Program – Ten children ages seventeen months to three years play and learn in a cozy, nurturing environment. A Montessori teacher and assistant teacher guide and encourage large and small motor activities, learning through the senses, language and peer interaction.

• The Primary Program – Children ages three to six come together for three or five mornings a week in a three year cycle of learning. Five and six year-olds extend their day in the third year of the program, equivalent to full day kindergarten in the public schools. Parents of three and four-year-old children may enroll for up to four additional afternoons a week. Before and After school care are provided for all primary students until 5:00 p.m.
• 
  The Elementary Program – Six to nine-year-olds meet in a full day program. Study of the universe and life on earth frame the comprehensive Elementary curriculum which includes reading, writing, math, science and geography. While children continue to learn through direct experience as they did in the younger years, Elementary students move into increasingly abstract questions, concepts, ideas and values in a social setting. They also spend more time exploring the world outside the classroom through nature hikes, walks to the beach to study the ocean and the coast and a variety of field trips. The Elementary program encompasses a three year cycle equivalent to first, second and third grades in the public schools.