Why choose Beverly Montessori School for your child?
Beverly Montessori School is a fully accredited early childhood Montessori school. Our method of learning, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1906, is a child-centered educational approach that is based on Dr. Montessori’s research and experience with young children. She believed that the goal of the educational process was to cultivate a child’s natural desire to learn. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. Our approach values the human spirit and the development of the whole child: physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and cognitive.
There are components necessary for a program to be considered an authentic Montessori learning environment.
- Mixed-Aged Groupings – All the classrooms at Beverly Montessori are multi-age classrooms. Children ages 3-6 years old work together in a family-like community. Friendships occur between all ages. Younger children learn through observation and look up to the older children, while older children gain the experience of role-modeling, leading, and teaching. Children stay with the same teacher in the same environment during their entire time at our school. We call this “looping.” Each school year, about one-third of the classroom group changes, as the oldest children graduate and a new group enters. When children stay in the same environment, the bonds and understanding between child and adult are significantly strengthened; the children’s sense of security gives them confidence to explore, and over time they grow in independence as they initially observe and learn from older children and later become role models and leaders of the group.
- The Prepared Environment — The classrooms are designed to be more like a home than a school. They are carefully prepared by the teachers to encourage independence, freedom within limits, movement, and a sense of order. The child, through individual choice, makes use of what the environment offers to develop himself, interacting with the teacher when support and/or guidance is needed. The classrooms are designed to be child-centered with child-sized tables and chairs and easy access to all the materials. The materials are displayed beautifully on low shelves and are carefully arranged by the teacher. The classroom environments are neat and orderly with clearly defined areas for language, mathematics, practical life, sensorial, cultural subjects, and art. Children have the freedom to select activities of their choice, the right to work with materials for as long as they wish and where they wish, and the responsibility for replacing things as they found them.
- Authentic Montessori Materials – Dr. Montessori created specific learning materials and lessons to enable children to progress from the concrete to the abstract. Each classroom has these materials readily available for the children. Many of the materials have a control of error which enables the child to self-correct without the need for an adult. There are specific materials designed for each area of the classroom.
- Uninterrupted 2-hour Work Period — Traditional schools follow tight, adult-led schedules. Beverly Montessori School offers long, uninterrupted work periods that allow children to fully engage in tasks they have chosen for themselves, under the careful guidance of their teacher. Children have the opportunity to get fully engaged in their work and experience a period of deep concentration. During the work cycle, teachers observe the behaviors of children and invite individuals and small groups to lessons when they see opportunities to assist a child’s progress. This uninterrupted 2-hour work time does not include line time or outdoor time.
- Credentialed Montessori Teachers — Montessori teachers must complete rigorous training from a MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) accredited program to earn their Montessori teaching credential. MACTE is the international standard-setting and accrediting body for Montessori teacher education. All the Lead Teachers, or as we call them, Directresses, at Beverly Montessori School hold a certification in Early Childhood learning from an accredited program. Our Head of School has her state license in school leadership as well as her Montessori credential.
- Accreditation – Beverly Montessori School is fully accredited by the American Montessori Society (AMS). This accreditation is considered the gold standard in Montessori excellence. We also have the highest level of membership with the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools (AIMS).
The Montessori Method
By Maria Montessori
The Absorbent Mind
By Maria Montessori
Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three
By: Paula Polk
Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood
By: Paula Polk Lillard
Montessori: A Modern Approach
By: Paula Polk Lillard
Montessori Materials
To purchase Montessori materials for the home, use the links below: