Montessori PreSchool

Josephine offers a Montessori preschool experience with trained Montessori staff. The main goal of Montessori is to provide a stimulating, child-oriented environment in which children can explore, touch, and learn without fear. In a Montessori classroom everything is oriented to the child: there is no teacher’s desk or teacher’s side of the room, because the teacher is only guide and facilitator. The Josephine Montessori program is designed for children ages 3 to 5. Unique to Josephine is the fact that the Montessori children interact with the senior residents in the Creativity and Imagination Center. The “Montessori method” is an educational method for teaching children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator, Maria Montessori, in the late 19th and early 20th century. The method is characterized by an emphasis on: self-directed activity on the part of the child. clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a "director", "directress", or "guide"). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his developmental level. It emphasizes the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills. A 2006 study published in the journal "Science" concluded that Montessori students performed better than their standard public school counterparts in a variety of arenas, including not only traditional academic areas such as language and mathematical reasoning, but in social cognition skills as well. (Lillard A, Else-Quest N. "The early years. Evaluating Montessori education." Science. 2006 Sep 29). Maria Montessori championed society to view children as natural learners, competent beings, and capable of making maximal decisions. She was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. For more information on Maria Montessori and her impressive lifelong resume, visit the Wikipedia web site: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori

Montessori Preschool