What is a Montessori School?
A Montessori school is a special place for the child to cultivate his/her own natural desire to learn. The Montessori philosophy for child development was first formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, during the early 1900's. Dr. Montessori's program for education focuses on the natural development of the whole child from birth through maturity. Children 2 to 6 years of age are the focus of most Montessori educational programs. The concept allows children to experience the joy of learning at an early age and provides an environment in which intellectual, moral, creative, physical, and social growth flourish.

What is the child's work?
Children have a sense of the worth and value of what they desire. They choose all activities eagerly and spontaneously, and become totally involved. The work process involves attaining skills, refining tastes, developing sensitivities, strengthening concentration, solving problems, building self-esteem, and achieving new insights.

What are "sensitive periods?"
Sensitive age periods are described as periods when the child shows unusual capabilities in acquiring specific skills. Another name for this phenomenon might be "formative periods" in which a child is psychologically attuned to acquire given ideas or skills more readily than at any other period. Examples of the "sensitive periods" are for acquiring a sense of order, between 2½ to 3½ years of age for the average child; for precise movement and coordination, 2½ to 4 years; for writing, 3½ to 4½ years; and for reading and numbers, 4 to 5 years of age. Recent studies show that 80% of a child's mental development is complete by the age of seven.

What are the advantages of upgraded, mixed-age classes?
A child can work with older children in one subject, younger children in another, and still have social interaction with children of his or her own age. Mixed age groups permit younger children a graded series of models for imitation, and older children have the opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by helping the younger ones.  

Why are Montessori children generally more self-confident, outgoing and self-reliant?
Montessori is based on a profound respect for the child's personality. The child works from his or her own free choice and is allowed a large measure of independence. This forms the basis of self-discipline. As each child progresses at his own pace and successfully completes the self-correcting exercises, he develops confidence in his ability to understand his accomplishments.  

What is the Montessori concept of Discipline?
Discipline is a prerequisite condition for learning. Montessori discipline is an "inner discipline" and inner control which the child develops from his/her own behavior and in conjunction with his or her home environment. Dr. Montessori noted that many so-called undisciplined children were really frustrated by the lack of proper stimulation and an inadequate opportunity to achieve. She noted that young people became happier and more self-controlled after a period of time in a Montessori class. They experienced challenging tasks which not only absorbed their energies, but resulted in a sense of achievement.

Objectives
The Montessori approach is designed to assist the child in acquiring the social skills and self-confidence that are needed to fulfill his own potential. This is accomplished by building on interests, nurturing enthusiasm, and making activities available to fit individual needs.   

What is the age range of children you accept?
We accept children between the ages of 2 ½ and 12 years old.

Does the child need to be potty trained?
Yes. We understand that occasional accidents may happen, but these should not be a regular occurrence.

Do you offer a two- or three-day program?
No. Given that we are an AMI recognized school, we are not permitted to offer anything other than a half-day or full-day class five days a week.

What are the hours of operation?
The school is open regularly from 8:00am to 6:00pm. On holidays when child care is provided, the school is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm. It is important to note that we are not a day care center. The primary goal of the program is to educate children in partnership with the parents using the proven AMI approved Montessori methods. We do provide extended care for the parents who have this need.

What is the application process?
Please review the process here.

What are the teacher qualifications?
All of our teachers have Bachelor's degrees and have earned an AMI diploma in Primary Montessori Education. Many of the teachers have also earned a Master's degree in education.

Can I request a specific teacher?
While we understand that some parents form a close relationship with a particular teacher and may recommend that teacher to another person, we are NOT able to honor requests for specific teachers. This would be unmanageable and would be unfair to the students and the teachers. Once you are enrolled, your child will stay with the same teacher for the entire time that he/she is enrolled at Global Montessori, unless there are mitigating circumstances.

What is the ten-month program vs. the twelve-month program?
The twelve-month program includes two summer sessions. These summer sessions are designed around the Montessori curriculum, but also offer other activities. Space for the summer sessions is limited.

May I schedule a visit?
Yes, please call (510) 845-6969 or email globalmontessori@sbcglobal.net to schedule a tour of our school.