Checklist for Choosing a Montessori Facility
|
Choosing the right Montessori facility can be a daunting task, particularly when there are so many Montessori facilities to choose from.
As almost any non-Montessori facility can call itself a "Montessori", it is very important to find the right Montessori facility to ensure your child will receive the best quality education. The following checklist contains guidelines which will help you determine/evaluate each facility you may be considering: |
|
1. Are all Primary Directresses certified by at least one of the following?
2. The quality of Montessori education that your child will experience is directly related to the knowledge, understanding, and inherent ability of the classroom Directress to effectively create a rich and comprehensive environment. Directresses who have been certified by any of the above have undergone an extensive and thorough training program whereby they have made an extraordinary commitment in time, effort, and finances to become certified. These dedicated professionals are trained to recognize and meet each child’s individual needs using the Montessori philosophical principles and techniques. Schools that commit to assembling a Faculty of AMS, AMI accredited Directresses are dedicated to the creation of a premier atmosphere which allows their students to reach personal and academic success throughout life.
2. The quality of Montessori education that your child will experience is directly related to the knowledge, understanding, and inherent ability of the classroom Directress to effectively create a rich and comprehensive environment. Directresses who have been certified by any of the above have undergone an extensive and thorough training program whereby they have made an extraordinary commitment in time, effort, and finances to become certified. These dedicated professionals are trained to recognize and meet each child’s individual needs using the Montessori philosophical principles and techniques. Schools that commit to assembling a Faculty of AMS, AMI accredited Directresses are dedicated to the creation of a premier atmosphere which allows their students to reach personal and academic success throughout life.
- Is the facility a current member in good standing with either the AMS or AMI organization?
- Is the Director or Head of Facility helpful and available to address your questions/concerns?
- Are the classrooms bright, cheery and inviting?
- Is each classroom equipped with a full complement of age appropriate Montessori materials for the following
- areas?
- Sensorial, Practical Life, Mathematics, Language, Geography, Botany, and Science
- Are Enrichment Programs included in the tuition or an extra charge? (i.e. Spanish, Music, Mandarin Chinese,
- Computer Lab, etc.) Typically, these are included in the tuition.
- Are classrooms conducted in a calm and orderly manner? (Do children seem happy, focused and engaged in their
- work?)
- Is the facility clean and well maintained?
- Do classrooms/bathrooms/hallways smell clean?
- Is classroom furniture (i.e. tables/chairs/shelves) in good condition?
- Are play areas properly equipped and the landscaping maintained regularly?
- Is the heating/cooling comfortable throughout the facility?
- Are kitchen/food prep areas tidy and orderly?
- Does the facility generally look like its being maintained both inside and out?