Montessori school at 2yrs or 3yrs?

well, after doing a bit of research, i've definitely decided that i'll be able to afford to put my girls in montessori schooll fulltime. Things will be tight but it will be worth it. i want them to have more structured learning, be exposed to different things, and different people. currently they go to a home daycare and have since they were 4 months old. they are doing fine there, but my daycare lady is having a baby next week and i just feel like my girls will take a back seat to her new baby for a while, which is understandable. soooo... the girls will be 2 in june, and i'm considering starting them this fall, possibly next fall. what are some pro's and con's to starting at 2 yrs old vs. 3 yrs old? thanks,
amy

 

I started my girls in a Montessori program at 22 months. But just part-time at that point (and still just part-time). They have done great in the program. They'll continue until they start kindergarten in fall 2011.

 

i am starting to think about when to move my two to a montessori school too. we are also in a home sitter situation and she only has one other child now. i know they are getting great care but i feel like they can be learning ALOT more right now. but i also am a little leary to trust and am not sure i want to stress yet on who is taking care of them and what is actually going on or being taught! ugh! i am thinking one more year with the sitter and then move on to a school setting...

i know that probably doesn't help you much but want you to know i am there with you trying to figure it out too! good luck...

 

Montessori is actually pretty unstructured..a two year old would be fine in that setting.

 

We started Piper and Cricket in a full time (8:30am - 3:00pm) Montessori school in February - so they were 33 months old, almost three. The school accepts kids from 2 years - 12 years. I don't think it would have made much of a difference if we started them at 2 or almost 3. It's been a fantastic transition for us. Previously, my girls were home with a great nanny, but they have totally blossomed since joining the school.

Traditional Montessori preschool is for 3-6 year olds, so any Montessori who accepts 2 year olds is somewhat stretching the Montessori concept. Not in a bad way, but Maria Montessori never had a 2 year old program, and most of the Montessori manipulatives (classroom toys, etc) are a bit too complicated for 2 year olds. That said, if the school is a good one, they'll already have figured out how to adapt the Montessori program for a younger group.

I've done a boatload of research on Montessori, so if you have any questions or what to know more about our experience, feel free to PM me.

 

My boys went to Montessori at 2. They called it their toddler program. It was T, W, TH from 11:00-1:15. They had a great experience. It was nice for them to have time away from me. They were with other kids, sharing, learning to clean up after themselves, bring their plates to the sink, wash their hands on their own, playing with many things that I dont have here at home...things like that. Now they go to a traditional school but I did love their toddler program. We did not experience any negatives by sending them at 2.

 

I'm looking forward to it! My girls will starting part-time 2 days a week. They are getting bored at home and are starting to learn so much despite my lack of teaching skills. Plus, from what I hear they help with the potty training and once one kid starts within a week or two they are all on board! Sadly that's one huge benefit for me :banana:

 

I was a teacher assistant at a Montessori school during college and we had 2 year olds. The lady I worked for had many activities the younger ones could do. I think starting at 2 would be fine!

 

I can attest to this. My girls were potty trained when they started school, but just yesterday I saw the potty training progress of the 2 year old class. The teacher set a timer for every 30 minutes and anyone "in training" would troop to the bathroom. There were only two kids potty training yesterday, so it was a quick trip to the bathroom and back. The teacher told me she waits to potty train each kid until they show signs of readiness, and then from start to stop it usually takes two weeks for the child to be fully potty trained. And in two or three years, she's never had an accident. Never!