Is Montessori the way to go?
Wow, I don't think I've ever received such thorough responses to a post, I'm feeling that child care hits a nerve with parents? What I am hearing is that I should make sure that I choose somewhere/someone that is qualified/certified, and runs a child care service (preferably centre-based) which has a regular routine and schedule, and that I should go for full time, which will make it much faster for lil'ReRe to integrate. So let me tell you about the 2 top options of the table:
1. Regular day care centre, halfway between our house and my husband's work (i.e. maybe 1.5 km away). It is in a church basement, which I found to be quite dark. The infant/toddler room was rather small but had lots of things for them to do. The caregivers are all ECE-certified, and the woman who runs it has been there for 18 years. There is very little turnover in staff. All food prepared on site. Babies sleep according to their own schedule, and will be rocked to sleep if need be. Very adaptive to the child/family's schedule, and allows food from home for the smallest kids. Parents can come hang out with their kids whenever they like.
2. Montessori school around the corner from our house (literally walking distance). The toddler room is bigger and very bright, with lots of windows, (which appeals to my claustrophobia). It is set up with everything at toddler height, including the sink for the children to wash their hands. Independence is very much encouraged; toddlers must be walking, and able to feed themselves for the most part. No ankle-clingers at Montessori. The schedule is very much structured, and parents are asked to not visit during program hours. A lot of focus on learning, rather than simply care-giving. Naps are scheduled at the same time once a day for all the kids, and they will likely need to fall asleep on their own.
Now, the reason I've mentioned the napping is cuz ReRe is in the transition from 2 to 1 nap per day, so I think that he could adapt to one scheduled nap if need be, but we are still rocking him before his naps. He seemed very comfortable in both locations, but was completely enamoured with the sink where he could reach the taps himself. But I guess I'm hesitant about the commitment we would be making to the whole Montessori approach to early childhood education - not because I disagree with it, but because I simply have no idea how he will adapt, and how this will affect him in the future. I was saying to my husband that we need to be congnizant of the fact that this may affect his integration into regular public school in the future - but could the same be said for regular day care? In later years (i.e. after he is 3) the Montessori program is much more like school, and has an academic program from September to June, so we'll have to be ready to commit to this as well.
As if sensing the need to be independent at the Montessori school, or maybe because everything was set up for kids his size, he was wiggling to get down, and then walking from the table to the sink and back all on his own. I was feeling myself drawn to the promise of him learning to read and write and speak french and all the other things that Montessori kids learn to do. My husband and I are both rather independent, autonomous people, and I fear we are projecting this on our son too early. But I know if my husband had been on the tour, he would have signed us up right away due to the fact that they have a bin of books in the bathroom where toilet training takes place, so that the kids can have some reading material while they do their business. Yup, that would have sealed the deal for him.
The other reason I liked the Montessori's schedule is because their formal program ends at 3:30pm, so if working from home pans out for me, I could still pick him up then and have a good chunk of the day with my little guy, without interrupting his schedule at day care. The cost of both places is about the same, so that's not really a deciding factor. Oh ya, and once he's 3, he'll have to wear a uniform to Montessori.
One of our friends who was over last night said he went to a Montessori school, and loved it. He said he learned more there than his first 3 years in public school. This both encouraged me, and frightened me. Does anyone have any experience with their child in a Montessori school at an early age (i.e. 18 months)?
Comments
My school has the Montessori program running at it, and our buddy class is with the K/1/2 Montessori class, so I have been able to pick up some more info during the last few years. Though I am NO expert.
In our neighbourhood, "Montessori" has become more about prestige than about teaching and learning under a specific educational model. Make sure you research the philosophy of Montessori, and make sure that the places you are considering are truly run under the beliefs of Maria Montessori. Some facilities use the Montessori materials, but do not use them within the real method. And just because a facility claims that they allow children to learn and grow in an individual way doesn't mean they are following the methods either. Individualized learning is certainly the ideal when it comes to education, but don't let the term fool you. There are still "benchmarks" that children need to achieve during their lifetime, whether they are Montessori or public school trained.
The kinds of activities that the Montessori program endorses include other languages, cultural arts, and also life skills. A number of the things that the children are required to learn end up being the concrete base for other skills. For example, young students are taught to clean their work spaces in large circular motions that are specific. Such motions then become the basis for handwriting (the cleaning circles mimic the handwriting circles), etc. There are also no "play centres" in true Montessori, because every activity should have a purpose, and so the children's "play" is actually their "work", where specific skills are learned on purpose and not by accident.
As for transitioning between programs, once you leave the Montessori program after Gr. 1, you can't go back into it. We have had several children leave the Montessori program to join the regular program within the school right before they leave for Middle School. Since the Montessori program for the middle years only exists at one school in our district, parents are not willing to carry the M program past elementary because of the commute. So if you choose M, then how far are you willing to take your child through the program? Highschool M does not exist in our district. Back to the kids leaving the M program, we have seen that these students have had lower academic assessments than others who have been in the regular program the whole time. Why? There could be many other factors besides the transitions between programs.
Finally, what is the education of the Montessori teacher? I have seen in my district that young teachers are going in for the summer diploma study of Montessori just to give themselves a leg up in the job market. So, are the teachers true believers of Maria Montessori, or are they there until something better comes along?
But Tinto, knowing you as I do, all of the research is already done. You will make up your mind according to what is best for you and your child. Langleymummy said it, choosing daycare has got to be one of the most tension-filled decisions a parent can make. Obviously, go with your heart and your gut. Your brain will be able to back up whatever choice you make.
Love you all, and good luck!
Wow, thanks for sharing your experience. The one person I can't ask their opinion is my son, and it means a lot to hear from someone who went thru Montessori themselves. Sounds like you had a really positive experience.