Academics

The Children's House at Park is a premier Montessori program for children in their earliest years.

Our Montessori program is in addition to our Progressive PreK early education program in The Bungalow, and families will be able to choose between both options when applying to Park.

The Montessori philosophy

Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, founded Casa dei Bambini – The Children’s House – the first Montessori school in Rome in 1907.  Through her studies in psychiatry and educational theory, she designed a method in which the materials and the environment were specifically prepared to promote self-motivated learning through discovery.  The “work” of the Montessori Method is active, purposeful, and joyful.  It values the growth of the whole child – cognitive, physical, social, and emotional.   

Montessori Core Principles

Connecting With Nature – The outdoors is a natural extension of the Montessori classroom and Park’s 34 acre campus houses a waterfall, pond, marsh, greenhouse, woodland, apple trees, gardens, and a plethora of wildlife to ignite your child’s senses and curiosity.  Connections to math and science will surround them and as your child explores the campus, they will develop a sense of self and their relationship to nature and the universe. 

Respect for the Child – Children are naturally curious, inquisitive, and ready to learn.  As such, the Montessori Program is intentionally designed in environment and materials to provide children freedom with limits.  Every aspect of the program is specifically designed and personalized by certified teachers to promote the growth of the whole child, and as such, your child will have autonomy to choose their work, move freely and work at their own pace, and self-correct.

Sensitive Periods of Learning – A child’s growth occurs across scientifically based stages and planes, and through mixed age classrooms, children are able to interact and learn from each other according to their readiness rather than their age.  Once a skill or knowledge is learned during that critical window in which a child is receptive to acquiring it, it can then be reinforced and deepened as the child naturally becomes a teacher to another child, thus forming social responsibility. 

Independence and Discovery – Child-directed learning empowers your child to determine the what, where, and how long of their learning.  This is made possible by the carefully curated environment that has been prepared by the teacher to meet your child’s individual learning needs.  As your child is able to explore, discover, and create in a supportive community, they will build confidence, independence, and a love of lifelong learning. 

Prepared Environment – The Montessori environment is intentionally prepared to minimize distraction and provide your child with developmentally appropriate activities to engage in individual, small group, or large group work.  Areas of choice include Math, Language, Sensorial, Geography, Culture/Science, Music, and Art.  Each area contains Montessori activities deliberately designed to develop skills and knowledge such as concentration, coordination, cultural understanding, and cognitive growth through an experience, rather than a giving of facts.