How Long Should Your Child Stay at a Montessori School? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Should Your Child Stay at a Montessori School? ›

This process seems to work best when children enter a Montessori program at age two or three and stay at least through the kindergarten year. Children entering at age four or five do not consistently come to the end of the three-year cycle having developed the same skills, work habits, or values.

The Montessori Method is also known for its 3-year cycle of learning. Children stay together, often with the same teacher, for that extended period, getting to know one another and themselves as they grow.

Many parents think of Montessori as being an excellent method of education during the preschool years. They then prepare to transition the child out of Montessori and into a traditional K12 school when the child is 5 years old. As an educator, I always help the parents and their children prepare for this next step.

One of the most significant long-term benefits of Montessori education is its impact on academic achievement. Studies have shown that Montessori students perform better on standardized tests and have higher levels of academic achievement compared to their peers in traditional education settings.

At the Early Childhood level, a 3-hour uninterrupted work cycle, 5 days per week, is optimal, and a 2- to 3-hour work cycle, 4 days per week, is the required minimum for AMS-accredited schools.

Limited Focus on Assessment: Montessori education places less emphasis on traditional forms of assessment such as grades and exams. While this aligns with the philosophy of individualised learning, it can be a disadvantage for parents and educators who value more conventional methods of evaluating a child's progress.

A Montessori education has been linked to elevated psychological well-being as an adult. One reason is that children in Montessori schools are allowed to choose their own work and participate in meaningful activities. They also experience greater social stability and cohesion in their classes.

Analysing their progress at age five, Lillard found that the children who went to the Montessori school tended to have better literacy, numeracy, executive function and social skills, compared to those who had attended the other schools. And at age 12, they showed better story-telling abilities.

Yes; Montessori classrooms encourage deep learning of the concepts behind academic skills rather than rote practice of abstract techniques. The success of our students appears in the experiences of our alumni, who rank successfully with traditionally educated students at a variety of high schools and universities.

Through natural consequences, children learn that their choices have an impact on themselves and others. In order for this to truly be effective, however, the child must be able to see that the link exists between their action and the consequence. Maria Montessori has shown us the way.

Why is Montessori 5 days a week? ›

The primary goal of Montessori involves creating a culture of consistency, order, and independence. Most Montessori school schedules run five days a week because the children have little or no sense of time.

It's never too late.

Montessori gave us a window into the child's developing brain and what the universal milestones and needs of children from the time of conception thru early adulthood were.

Two- and three-day programs are often attractive to parents who do not need full-time care; however, five-day programs create the consistency that is so important to young children and which is essential in developing strong Montessori programs.

Analysing their progress at age five, Lillard found that the children who went to the Montessori school tended to have better literacy, numeracy, executive function and social skills, compared to those who had attended the other schools. And at age 12, they showed better story-telling abilities.