“It follows that at the beginning of his life, the individual can accomplish wonders — without effort and quite unconsciously.” ~Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori emphasized the importance of the Three Year Cycle for the specific characteristics that children demonstrate in the areas of social, emotional, psychological, intellectual, and physical development. During the Infant/Toddler years, ages 0–3, the child’s curiosity and love of learning emerges in an unconscious but highly motivated form!
Research tells us appropriate, active stimulation is vital to a child’s brain development during the first three years of life. Birth to 3 years is an age where the seeds of independence are planted and nurtured. Nowhere in the community will you find this more of a focus than at Montessori schools. Our quality care and educational emphasis sets us apart from all the rest.
Our emphasis is on motor, social, and speech developments as our youngest students grow. New information concerning early cognition is arising from several perspectives. We take full advantage of all the latest research into early learning and incorporate all of these into our Infant/Toddler Program. Our schools offer their youngest students a wonderfully enriched classroom environment with caring and skilled teachers who are dedicated to the total development of each child.
We cater to each child’s individual needs of physical, intellectual, social, and psychological growth. We know that after the great adventure of a baby’s birth, he or she is ready to absorb the new environment at an accelerated rate. We know that attention span in the first three years of life is a predictor to adolescent intelligence and that stimulating the developing brain early is the best assurance of a highly intelligent individual.
Our Infant/Toddler Program is designed with all of this in mind. Activities that inspire curiosity, develop language skills, created contextual relationships, expand muscle and motor control, appeal to the senses, stimulate intellectual growth, and encourage social interactions are all an integral part of the daily program at our school. As we recognize the importance of even our youngest students interacting and learning with their peers, our Infant/Toddler Program loosely groups mixed ages of Infant – 18 Months, 18 Months – 2.5 Years, and 2.5 Years – Pre-kindergarten.