Montessori Preschool Programs Develop Successful Life Habits As adults, we all have obligations that require that we are prepared to start on time.  Whether it’s for work or an appointment, we all have commitments that require us to be somewhere at a specific time ready to participate. At the very least, being on time is a direct reflection of the respect that we have for whomever we have made the commitment to. Therefore, it is very important that children learn at a very young age the importance of being on time. In the Montessori environment, being

When evaluating schools for your child, are you clear on exactly what you are looking for?  Seems like a simple enough question, right? For something that seems so simple there sure is a seemingly never ending list of volume of articles and advice on this topic available on the internet. The reality is that your decision essentially boils down to your answer to this key question: “Every morning when I drive out of the school parking, do I feel good leaving my child here?” So, where should you begin? Start with the school’s core values

If you have taken the opportunity to check out our website, Facebook pages or twitter feeds, you have likely noticed that our children love food preparation in the classroom! Of course with Thanksgiving quickly approaching, we have been cooking even more with an emphasis on preparing a whole to share. The related skills the children have been learning in the classroom since start of school including preparing food, dividing portions, setting a table, eating and cleaning up together, clearing the table, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, etc.  are all real skills necessary

Our Motto “Children First, Always” It was the year 2001, and I had spent the previous three months trying to turn around a small Montessori school in the south bay that I had just taken over.  Prior to my involvement the school had so many problems that it was on the brink of being shut down by state licensing. So it was then – after those three very long and difficult months of working on the floor of the classrooms in this troubled school constantly searching for solutions to the seemingly endless

Welcome to the Primary Classroom! We would like to give you an introductory overview of our Montessori program. Our goals and methods align with the traditional Montessori approach to learning. Our foremost goal is to provide a prepared environment where your child is able to respond to his or her natural instinct to work and learn. Young children learn best through movement and their senses thus the children are moving their bodies and engaging their senses in each area of the classroom. Within this setting the teacher is a facilitator as she

For those of you who are new to the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, double welcome! To those families who have been with us, thank you for entrusting us with your child for another year. This year has seen MSOSV grow to four beautiful campus locations.  This September we opened Cabrillo Montessori in Santa Clara with 18 wonderful children, two classrooms and a fantastic dedicated Montessori staff including our Site Director, Ms. Erin and our Lead Guides, Ms. Karen (Primary) and Mrs. Nelly (Pre-Primary). Now that we have Cabrillo open and as we

Alignment of Common Core Standards?  Montessori is already there! Is my child ready for Kindergarten/First Grade? One of the most frequent questions teachers hear is “Is my child ready for Kindergarten?” Considering that Kindergarten teachers simply ask that a child can sit still at circle and write their first and last name with a capital letter at the beginning of Kindergarten, well the simple answer is Yes!  Montessori four year olds far exceed most expectations in the second year of Montessori education. Can you imagine what a child who stays in a Montessori class for three

We know that children’s eating habits and their ability to make independent choices around food is an important conversation.  As parents you worry.  We are asked every day if a child has eaten their lunch and how to make them do that. Our classrooms offer the best opportunity to teach the children about nutrition, manners, and care of their environments.  We are paying close attention to enjoying the lunch time meal and snack time with the most grace and courtesy practice we can provide.  Our lunch time provides them opportunities to practice independence,

Young children may have charming characteristics, including curiosity, impulsiveness, and a desire to explore. As young children explore their surroundings, the likelihood of coming into contact with germs and infection, increases. Young children with disabilities and chronic illness may be especially vulnerable. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated firmly that properly washing of hands is the most important strategy in the prevention of disease. Clean hands limit the spread of diarrhea, staph infection, eye infection, colds, and gastrointestinal (stomach) diseases common in early childhood programs. The more often you wash

“It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was.”—Dr. Maria Montessori Last May, I had the opportunity to observe a kindergarten and first grade class at the local elementary school my then 5-year-old daughter would have attended in fall, if we went the public school route. The school I observed is about as good as it gets in ​​public education. It’s a “Blue Ribbon”, “California Distinguished” school, with standardized test scores in the top 5% of the state. It