Has Anyone Had Any Experience with a Montessori Preschool?

Two of my sisters have their children in a Montessori preschool and absolutely LOVE it! They go everyday part time and seem like they are learning a lot. I know it's expensive but it seems like it's worth it.

I have not sent a child to Montessori school but had lots of experience working with children that attend Montessori schools and worked with them in the Montessori envirionment. It would be too detailed to go into my job description, but I did spend lots of time in some Montessori preschools as an early childhood specialist. The very average, developed well in every way child could do fine there. However, I found their philosophy to be somewhat ridgid, not very playful, and less open to various differences among children developmentally. I know...this is opposite of what the orignial foundation was. Specifically, they do not have dramatic or pretend play, and do not offer as many opportunities for language and social development as typical preschools. They see the child's play "work" very seriously and there are many activities the children must do alone. I would hear "that is work for one person so you should not be talking to anyone." Also, the shelves are filled with many activities but children are only to pick ones that they have been taught or "given a lesson" on. That is hard for children this age. There are many routines and exact ways of doing things and not alot of flexibility within these. If a child is being silly or pretending w/ some objects that are meant for sound/letter matching then they would be redirected instead of taking advantage of that as a learning opportunity. So for some children this is fine for many children it is too ridgid and does not offer them enough soical development opportunities. Not very playful or apprciative of the fun, silly part of being a preschooler. There may be differences among Montessori schools where some are less strict. Good luck with your decision.

My daughter is in a Montessori right now. She loves going to school and I am very happy with the way things are done and what she has learned thus far. My daughter just turned 5 on Friday but she has been reading since about 2 months into the school when she was 4. Last week we were driving in the car and out of nowhere she says "Hey mom do u know the earth is spinning?" Then she continued with info on the planets that I would have never guessed she learned like which has rings and the colors and the sizes of them. I had my doubts about the school because it is not really structured and it allows them to learn things on their own cuz I thought my daughter needed structure but then it is structured in ways too. Another upside for you is that I know my daughters teacher likes to keep siblings together she thinks that it makes them more comfortable and eases the change into the classroom environment from being home. I am not sure if this is a montessori thing or just my teacher. But overall, my daughter has been there since September and I am happy with the Montessori way of teaching as they call it. If you have any questions or need help let me know. Here is my email ____@____.com

We haven't had experience with montessori, but if you are looking for a great preschool you may want to check out "Hope Lutheran Preschool" in West Chicago. It is great! The 4 year old, MWF, 12:30-3:00 class still has room. Mrs. Whitney treats each child as if they are gold, and really knows how to work with them.

I had my son in a Montessori preschool for about a year and a half. It was a pleasant experience for him and for us. We did change to a Waldorf school which was a better fit for us. They are both great but I would recommend checking out the Waldorf method as well as the Montessori. If you are interested you can check it out at www.fourwindswaldorf.org
My 5 year old son has been going there for 6 months now and he said he likes it better than Montessori. Good Luck!

I had my daughter in Montessori since she turned 3yrs old.
She graduated after she turned 5 and then I placed her into Public school. She was ahead of the class and reading as she entered into Kindergarten...I would have to say I could write you a BOOK of why it was a great idea, the only CON I can come up with is the $$$..However I looked at it as an investment into her education. I feel she has learned the desire to "want to learn more & more and college will come easier to her.At least thats my hope I know nothing is a guarantee in life.
I'd say go and visit a few of them and look for an accredited school by the AMS. Good Luck you won't be disappointed.

I was fortunate enough to teach Montessori morning classes while I was a co-ed at the University of Wisconsin several decades ago; I learned so much about the method and the often-overlooked fact that public schools teach primarily via memorization and if any child doesn't grasp a subject right away, he is labeled "slower" and often fulfills the expected "learning curve" at the lower end. The best part about this method is that children can learn at their own rate, be left to focus on what they seem most interested, and surprise the teachers at their levels of comprehension when exposed to many different or unusual stimuli, not the proscribed chapter-and-verse methods. I especially loved where their fingers were used to trace sandpaper numbers and letters, thus imprinting their brains with the flow of the letters/numbers, teaching them the correct way to write. I had my own children (all college-educated and adults now)and I recently watched my daughter make the lower case letter "e" from bottom to top. She explained she was never taught how to write the alphabet, just to copy the chart above the chalkboard. Just one simple example of how teaching
methods differ. I always praised my children on their best effort and their individual talents, after all they are individuals with different talents. I'd say go for it.

I worked at a Montessori preschool as a substitute teacher for a while and thought the environment had lots of potential to enrich children more than the preschools I experienced as a child. Unfortunately, the funding was low and the student/teacher ratio was high. However, I still observed many amazing accomplishments by the children while I was there.

My boyfriend's mom has a Full-Immersion Dual-Language (English and Spanish) Montessori Preschool. (The preferred terminology is Early Childhood Education, after all the children are actually learning like they do in "school.") I must say that she is excellent with the children and has a very loving environment, serving the children healthy homemade meals daily. I highly recommend that you talk with her about your questions and concerns. Let me know if you would like her contact info. She is located in Chicago near UIC, which might not fit your needs, but I know that there are other schools she also respects.