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IS MONTESSORI RIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD? Allowing children to learn at their own pace in a classroom with mixed ages are two hallmarks of this educational philosophy.
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BY RANDI MAZZELLA
hoosing the right preschool for your child isn’t easy, especially given the varied approaches each school has to early childhood education. Wyckoff mom Kendra Grompone investigated several preschools before deciding to send her then threeand-a-half-year-old son to a Montessori school in Wayne. “This was his first exposure to school having never been to daycare or preschool before,” Grompone says. “When I visited the Montessori school, I liked what I saw going on in the classroom. The philosophy doesn’t place a ceiling on what children can learn based on their age or any pre-conceived labels. Instead, there is no limit
on what a child can learn. Their learning is also self-driven by their own interests and not a set curriculum.”
WHAT IS MONTESSORI? Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori developed this educational philosophy in the early 1900s based on her observations of how children learn. Dr. Montessori described a child’s mind between the time of birth and age six as “absorbent,” with a tremendous ability to soak up all kinds of information. Although Montessori-based programs are available for kids through high school, many parents choose
BIG BOOK OF EDUCATION
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