Anyone have experience with Montessori?

Daycare sucks. Sigh... I have been on the waiting list for a extremely popular Montessori since July of last year for spots in November of this year. Slightly off topic, but how in the world do you get your kids in when they are born!?!? You would have to put a name on the list months before they were even conceived. Ok - back to my real dilema - When I toured last summer, it seemed like a great place. Now that the boys are here, I am not so sure. Anyone have any expereince with a Montessori philosophy?

I am ashamed to say I don't know a lot about Motessori - I picked the place because I got good vibes - no one was crying, the teachers were super nice, the babies were giggling, the older kids had impeccible manners, and tons of people I know have had kids there and have had nothing but great stuff to say. The few things I do know - they don't own bouncy seats (what do they do with the kids all day? Tummy time is great, but there is no way my kids are going to be content being flat all day until they learn to sit up on their own, not to mention where do they put them for the 30 minute of upright reflux time?) or anything with restraints - no highchairs for example. They feed them in little chairs at a table. Yeah, right. They also ban sippy cups. They go from bottle to REAL cups way earlier that I think I would ever even jokingly consider sippies! A big part of their philosophy is independance (teaching kids to do things by themselves), and treating them like little people (no baby talk, for example). Is this a good thing, or is it just another way of forcing them to grow up too fast?

Sorry for the ramble, I am just wondering if this is a big mistake? Anyone have a daycare philosophy Montesorri or otherwise they you actually like?

 

I dont know much about them at that young of an age, but I do know that when they get to preschool-school age, that it is a school I would not send my children to. It is a child-centered place and not a teacher/adult center. They have the philosophy of "If you don't want to sit and do writing, then maybe you want to play in blocks.." Instead of "this is what we are doing and you will do what we are doing".

I am a strong believer in children not being the center of the home or classroom, but being apart of the family - not the center of it. And these schools will basically do whatever the children want to do, instead of the child being told what his/her responsibilities are.

So, anyhow - like I said, I am not sure about infant stage... hope that helped some.

 

I think I'd have an issue with my kids not being 'restrained' for their own safety in a highchair. My two are almost 8 months- there's no way they could sit at a table! I guess I don't get the sippy cup ban either.

Good luck with your decision!

 

IMO, you should Google the Montessori approach online and see if your own philosophy jives with that of the center your children are attending. My background is in ECE, and the "child centered, play based" approach (of which Montessori is one of many) is considered the hallmark of good care/teaching in early childhood. That being said, some centers/schools are better at implementing the philosophy better than others...at the end of the day, you're only going to be comfortable with your children attending such a place if you "buy in" to how they're approaching the care of your children specifically.

Definitely definitely do some research and give the philosophy a chance before giving up, though - you may find that a bit of reading on the topic will change the assumptions you're making about what children of various ages can/can't do (with caregiver support, of course!).

 

My girls all went to a Montessori school. They loved it, and so did I. But you need to feel comfortable with where your children go, so you're the best judge for it Montessori, and this school in particular, are right for you and your family.

 

QUOTE(gina_leigh @ Jul 30 2008, 11:32 PM) [snapback]905680[/snapback]
I think I'd have an issue with my kids not being 'restrained' for their own safety in a highchair. My two are almost 8 months- there's no way they could sit at a table! I guess I don't get the sippy cup ban either.

Good luck with your decision!


I'm not sure about how the first year would work in a center like that. Maybe you can call them and ask? I've never had kids in one, but I like the idea of giving kids choices. Sounds like a great place! I'm so glad I read about this so I can recommend it to others.

 

I love the Montessori philosophy and plan to send my girls to a Montessori preschool when they're a bit older. You asked whether the focus on independence is a good thing, or forces kids to grow up too early. My take on this is that it's all good. Traditional Montessori schools, ones that really follow the philosophy (and don't just call themselves Montessori) give kids tools to explore their world. They don't force children to learn in one particular way, nor do they dictate a schedule to kids. The concept is based on the fact that children are natural learners. A traditional school tells kids that now it's story time, now it's art, now it's time to play with blocks. A Montessori school does not. Schools are arranged around learning centers and kids move among the centers learning diferent things and playing with different things depending on what catches their attention during the day. There is some structure, of course. Most Montessori schools have circle time, nap time, and lunch time. And there are always teachers supervising to assist and redirect if a child needs help. There's an education plan for each child, so everyone learns at his or her own pace and the teacher spends time individually with each child. To me, Montessori is focused on the child's needs, not the teacher's needs. Oh - I also really like the focus on integrating the child into adult life. Kids learn to clean up really early at Montessori schools, not because they're punished if they don't, but because that's just what you do when you're done with playing. At a Montessori school everything has a place on a shelf and kids help clean up - and really enjoy it because that's part of the playing and learning process for them.

I agree with the PP, google Montessori and see if you like what you read. I would also do a visit to the center to see how younger babies fit into the system. You might be surprised at how well they do. There's no true Montessori curriculum for infants, but the concepts might create a center that is really laid back and focused on the individual needs of your babies.

*Edited to add a few thoughts I had forgotten!

 

I do like the Montessori philosophy, but my girls did not start in the program until they were 22 months old. Definitely google it to see if it is really something you agree with.

 

I toured alot of daycare and nursery schools for my kids. The really good ones didn't use bouncy seats or restraints because the teachers held the babies in their arms or interacted with them on the floor all day. The ones that gave me bad vibes seemed to restrain the babies alot, so the babies sat still all day and were easier for the teachers.

As for the Montessori method, I hear there is a huge range in quality...some are wonderful and some are crummy. You just have to take a look at the place and judge for yourself.

 

I don't know that there is much value in a Montessori approach with infants, frankly. The research on a well-implemented Montessori method is excellent for pre-K and young school aged children; but it has to be well-implemented. A poorly implemented Montessori class is a free for all. And infants are going to be self-directed explorers anyway--that's what they do . Our daycare doesn't have bouncy chairs either. Our boys do their upright time in a swing or on a boppy.

I go strongly with vibes on infant daycare. The place we chose is not the fanciest place we looked at; but as you mentioned, every time I went there, the babies were happy. They are very organized. The directors greet all the kids by name in the morning. And the teachers in the infant rooms have been with the school for a long time. Stability of staff is a really good indicator of program quality. I also looked on our state's family protective services web site, which oversees all the licensing--they have a database that tells you when the facility was last inspected, whether there were any violations, and what those violations were. The place we chose had one violation in the last five years, and it was a mislabelled sippy cup. So if you are considering switching, you might see if your state has similar information. It gave me some peace of mind.

Daycare choices are so hard. When I was pregnant and choosing, I felt really good about the places that were on our list. Then when I actually had to take them there for the first time, I almost had a nervous breakdown. My husband and another friend convinced me to give it a couple of weeks to determine if my bad feelings were caused by the place or me. It turned out to be me. The boys seem to like school fine, and their teachers love them. They've adjusted really well (I think being twins helps--they get a lot of attention). Daycare is never going to be as good as home, as far as I'm concerned; but I also love my job and my not working is not an option for us financially. So it is what it is...

Good luck!

 

:hug99: Finding the right child care situation is so difficult. I don't know too much about Montessori at such a young age. Most of the schools here don't take them until they are a bit older (toddler and up). When we first put the twins in daycare we were in a place that was ok, but on the waiting list for the place I really wanted. We got into that one after 6 weeks and it was such a huge relief. They did have bouncy seats in the infant room, but infant only goes up to 6 months and then they graduate to the pre-toddler room where there are no swings or bouncy seats (a couple jumpers is all) and they spend more time on the floor. They have learned so much since moving up! I don't know about eating at a table and not using a sippy cup. I don't know how that would work with mine either??

Good luck with your decision. I put our names on my first pick's wait list 6 months before the twins were due and still didn't get space when I needed it.

 

If it makes you feel better, I live in CA and my daycare provider is licensed and she said that if you have a license then you can't have bouncy chairs in your daycare. She said it is so providers don't leave babies in the chairs all day. So that is probably a good thing about the bouncy chairs Hopefully they will be holding or playing with your babies most of the day.

As far as Montessorri goes, I know that alot of centers/preschools use the name but don't necessarily follow the philosophy as well as others. So I have heard it is important to visit the center and trust your instincts.