There are at least 4,000 certified Montessori schools in the United States and about 7,000 worldwide.

Unfortunately no one body can accredit the Montessori element of schools, but there are state requirements for schools in genera. There are several Montessori organizations to which schools can belong. The two major ones operating in the United States are the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI, with a U.S. branch office called AMI-USA) and the American Montessori Society (AMS). Parents considering placing a child in a Montessori school should ask about the school's affiliation(s).

No. Although there are Montessori schools all over the world, all Montessori schools are not alike. Dr. Montessori's vision for children spread so quickly that soon the name "Montessori" became part of the public domain and could not be given a copyright. Differences in the quality of teacher-training, school standards, and adherence to the Montessori philosophy all affect the quality of a Montessori school.

These are the very first activities children take part in, in a Montessori classroom. They develop their ability to look after themselves and their surroundings. They can practice dressing skills on specially made frames, which allow them to try zips, buttons, bows and buckles. They use little jugs filled with beans or rice and then water to practice pouring; they spoon, scoop, or use droppers, tweezers and even chopsticks to transfer from one bowl to another.

While some Montessori schools have religious affiliations (like many other private schools) the McGlaughlin School is a non-affiliated school. We are not religion based and do not promote any one religion. Back to Top It seems that children in a Montessori classroom are unsupervised and can "do whatever they want whenever they want." Montessori is based on a principle of free choice of purposeful activity.

Some are, but most are not. Some Montessori schools, just like other schools, operate under the auspices of a church, synagogue, or diocese, but most are independent of any religious affiliation.

No. Approximately 200 public schools in the U.S. and Canada offer Montessori programs, and this number is growing every year.

Children that have been in a Montessori environment typically are very flexible and adjust quite easily to the public school situation. They are generally better students and spend their time in more productive ways because of their self-direction and positive attitude toward learning.

Because Montessori believes in individually paced academic progress, most schools do not assign letter grades or rank students within each class according to their achievement.

Many schools take pride in having very small classes, and Parents often wonder why Montessori classes are so much larger. Montessori classes commonly group together 25 to 30 children covering a 3 year age span. Schools that place children together into small groups assume that the teacher is the source of instruction, a very limited resource. They reason that as the number of children decreases, the time that teachers have to spend with each child increases.

Research proves that your child's highest level of learning takes place from birth through age 9. This period of development is when your child will absorb and learn more than any other time in his/her life. This is also the time your child will learn the joy of knowledge and the excitement of learning new skills. The gift of learning independent study skills in our carefully prepared class environment is an advantage when it is time for your child to move on.

Dr. Montessori identified four "planes of development," with each stage having its own developmental characteristics and developmental challenges. The Early Childhood Montessori environment for children age three to six is designed to work with the "absorbent mind," "sensitive periods," and the tendencies of children at this stage of their development.

By the end of age five, Montessori children are normally curious, self-confident learners who look forward to going to school. They are normally engaged, enthusiastic learners who honestly want to learn and who ask excellent questions. Montessori children by age six have spent three or four years in a school where they were treated with honesty and respect. While there were clear expectations and ground rules, within that framework, their opinions and questions were taken quite seriously.

and 3 day programs are often attractive to Parents who do not need full-time care; however, 5 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 5 days a week.

Dr. Montessori identified four “planes of development,” with each stage having its own developmental characteristics and developmental challenges. The Early Childhood Montessori environment for children age 3 to 6 is designed to work with the “Absorbent Mind”, “Sensitive Periods” and the tendencies of children at this stage of their development.