Sometimes parents ask, “Is my child being challenged?” I’d like to answer a slightly differently-worded question:  “How is my child being challenged?”

Unlike the traditional environment, our students are not starting on the same page at the same time with the same topic or subject. Each student constantly observed by the director. The director notices weakness and strengths of the ALL students.  As directors, we modify daily lessons plans and activities to meet the m...

Many parents, soon to be parents or care providers often wonder what they are supposed to say and read to the little ones they care for. The answer is very simple, ANYTHING. This past year I had a new mom be completely transparent with me, confessing that she didn’t know her baby was old enough to listen to stories, be involved in a conversation, or really understand anything she said. I was able to quickly reassure the new mom that her sweet baby was a sponge soaki...

The word “crisis” can have several meanings. I propose two: First, a crisis is an adverse situation that could not have been reasonably anticipated. Second, it could refer to an adverse situation that could have been anticipated but was not. Neither is our current circumstance an unprecedented event. I led a Montessori school in Beijing at the height of the SARS epidemic, which is very much like what we are currently experiencing. Historians love to quote the Spanis...

As you talk with your children each day, there are tons of ways you can help them be more successful in their early childhood education. Most of these ways are simple and cost you nothing more than what your children crave from you the most…your time and attention.

                First of all, talk with your children. Answer their questions. Ask them questions. Pretend with your children. Tell stories. Ask your children to tell you stories. Read with them EVERY DAY....

Are you looking for the best gift for your child/children? The answer is so easy. Just read aloud to and with your child every day. Reading aloud has so many benefits. First of all, brain research shows that hearing stories strengthens the part of the brain associated with visual imagery, story comprehension, and word meaning. “Reading aloud is the single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading” according to the Becoming...

For many of our parents the beginning of parent-school interaction, Montessori is new. A few parents attended a Montessori school (including our own!) as a child but most take a leap of faith that the Method best serves the developmental needs of their children. Any faith can be tried by a number of factors—classroom techniques that seem counter-intuitive, a child’s perception that may differ every-so-slightly from the facts, and sometimes mistakes teachers, student...