How Can a Montessori School Save You Money?

Is it possible to save money by sending your child to a Montessori school? First, it's important to understand how a Montessori classroom operates. The classroom is an environment for self-education and self-realization. The room is divided up into different learning stations. There are 5 stations in most classrooms:

· Practical Life - This area develops task organization and promotes the understanding of cognitive order.

· Sensorial - This area teaches the students to classify and describe sensory impressions such as length, width, temperature, color, etc. Special Montessori "games" are used which have metal weights, different length rods, puzzles of the world, United States, etc., and also includes smelling activities.

· Math- the Math station uses manipulative materials to enable the comprehension of number, symbol, sequence, operations concepts and the memorization of basic facts.

· Language - Unique tools are used to communicate the understanding of letters and eventually the recognition of words and finally, the accomplishment of being able to read.

· Cultural Activities - Teachers spend times teaching about different counties of the world. The topics covered are: geography, history, cultures (food, clothing, traditions), music and art. This part of the program gives children a worldly perspective.

My 5½ year old son has been attending Montessori school since he was 2½. It's evident that his language and understanding of the world around him are developing at a rapid pace. In his school, it is expected that pre-schoolers (4 year olds) will know how to read and write before kindergarten.

What impressed me most about this particular school is that they use the Open Court Sound Cards. The sound cards are drilled every day throughout the entire school year. Sound Cards are the foundation of reading. Instead of learning the alphabet, the students learn the sounds associated with each letter.

Contrary to what many people think about Montessori, the classroom environment is very structured, with the teachers directly the students to activities in the area where they need to develop. I also like the frequent music classes, art programs and kid's theater performances that come to the school for the 4 and 5 year old.

The answer to the question "How Can A Montessori School Save You Money?" is that as a parent, you will not have to pay for tutoring later in your child's school career. By providing a Montessori preschool and kindergarten education, you are setting your child up to succeed in school and have the knowledge and desire to learn later on in life.