Preschool or Montessori at 3? - Lake Bluff,IL

Montessori! I love Montessori. Everyday when my son leaves his Montessori school they take his hand, look him in the eye and say goodbye. They teach respect and independence above all. Their philosophy is to treat children as equals. The children prepare their own snacks and serve each other. The materials are specific for Montessori learning. One of my favorites is the counting beads the children get a visual idea of the numbers and they can go up to 1000. My daughter is 5 and can already do math equations in her head! She knows all her letters by sight and 80% by sound. I know she will be reading well before the other kids in her public school kindergarten. If I could afford it, all my kids would do Montessori until eighth grade. Every year the kids have a science fair in the spring. It is so much fun for a preschooler. The experiment my child did was the vinegar and baking soda experiment. My daughter has the right pencil grip, can write her name, my name, grandma's name and a few simple words all on her own. I was a little concerned about my son before he started Montessori in August, but he has made leaps and bounds in just a month. He went from not wanting to go, not being able to wait to go. He went from not talking more than a few sentences at a time, to having full conversations with adults other than me. He follows the rules in class very well(he runs everywhere and can be very hyper so this surprised me!)and he returns the hand shake and eye contact(eye contact was one of the things that worried me before). I would be happy to talk at lengths with you about Montessori schooling, if you would like send me an email ____@____.com
Smiles:) S.

One of my children went to a montessori preschool and the other to a play-based progressive preschool. There are many different options out there, though - it's not like it's "montessori" and "everything else." The most important thing to me was that preschool be a time for them to explore the things the child is ready to explore - basically, I wanted no worksheets and no emphasis on rote memorization. I wanted a school where children are treated with respect and affection and real concern for their individual growth. I feel like both preschools we've experienced, while completely different, were great.

By the way, "montessori" is not trademarked, so anyone can call themselves that. You'll want to ask about accreditation and if the teachers are certified by one of the major montessori associations.

It truly depends on the child. My 3 yr old daughter went to the town preschool and excelled coming home with work papers daily showing she was learning a letter of the day, color of the week, etc. and enjoyed doing that. The following year we enrolled both my then 4 yr old daughter and 3 yr old son in a Montessori program and have seen them learn and grow in so many more ways than the rote learning. Each program has so many advantages and from what I have seen, the only cons of each are child-based issues/differences. We made the decision to switch to Montessori after having visited several schools and speaking with parents and teachers. Hope this helps!

I spoke with the program director of a few schools. We visited a couple of schools in our area. We were able to sit in the classroom to get a feel. That really helped me make a decision. (How the others interacted with my child, how well the teachers handled situations that came up, what they learn during the day...) I think that preschool really prepares your child for school. Our kids went to Prairie Path in Wheaton. I liked this preschool because it felt more like a school than a daycare. They scheduled weekly themes for learning. Everyday included storytime. My kids really benefitted from going. My son was an early reader. Both my son and daughter are good spellers.

when i was deciding what kind of school to enroll my children in for preschool age, the best thing i did was to visit the various schools i was considering. the one i thought i'd adore i really felt lukewarm about after visiting, while a few i wasn't considering as strongly just from reading about them became my top two choices after visiting them. even within the same sort of school type/philosophy (for example, montessori), different schools will interpret things and do things quite differently from another. it's all about where your daughter will feel most comfortable and thrive and discover a love for learning, so visit any school you're considering with her to check out the facilities, hear them talk about their program in person, and just see what feels right for your daughter.