Letter from Owner
Dear Parents,
My name is Nayna Patel, and I am the owner and Director of Village Montessori Center. I am delighted that you are thinking of sending your child(ren) here and have taken the time to visit our school. I have taught and directed in Montessori schools all throughout Southern California for the past 25 years. I live locally here in Southern California and will be teaming up with my son, Samir Patel (Mr. Sam), who will be onsite as an owner and office administrator. All of my children are Montessori educated, so I’ve walked in your shoes and know what you’re going through. You want the best education possible that will lay the foundation for future learning. As a parent, I can offer no higher recommendation than Montessori.
My goal is to bring a high quality, high standard, yet affordable, Montessori curriculum to this school. If you are not familiar with the Montessori approach to learning, I would urge you to visit our website and read more about it. The method was developed by Maria Montessori and has been time tested for over 100 years. With years of proven Montessori education worldwide, it has been well documented that the love of learning instilled in a Montessori student will stay with them throughout their academic careers.
Our Montessori classrooms are unlike anything you’ve seen before! The environment is prepared specifically to address a child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn. The most noticeable difference when entering a Montessori classroom is the absence of “toys”. Materials in a Montessori classroom are thoughtful and purposeful learning manipulative. It is the philosophy of Montessori that children are naturally curious and have an instinctive desire to learn. This knowledge drives us to prepare an environment that is beautiful, stimulating, and inviting to the child. In most cases, the work is unlike anything that the child has seen or experienced before. This simple fact naturally draws him to the work, and the learning process begins!
We strongly feel that before any “work” can occur, a feeling of grace, courtesy and respect must be present in the classroom. These simple concepts are the basis of everything that we do. You can expect your child to be in an environment that promotes respect for not only each other, but for the classroom and the community. The work on the shelves in the classroom is very plentiful and is divided into several main areas, as described below:
Practical Life – A child is naturally attracted to activities that will give them independence. Children seek autonomy and control of their young lives. Practice with pouring, carrying, serving, tying, sweeping, and washing are a few examples of exercises that help the child to coordinate their movement and establish order and good working habits. Practical life exercises also help develop a longer attention span, deeper concentration and precision. Because lessons are presented in a left to right and top to bottom manner, they are an indirect preparation for reading.
Sensorial – The sensorial materials help the child to develop order and clarity in thinking. They include activities to aid the child to classify, discriminate, compare and contrast size, weight, shape, texture, color, taste, sound and smell. Many sensorial materials are mathematically based and provide opportunities for movement and intellectual challenges. Additionally, they introduce a rich vocabulary to the children.
Language – The language activities are designed to develop the child’s ability to communicate through spoken language, to explore the sound/symbol relationship and to express self through written work. Skills gained in practical life and sensorial work help prepare the child for reading and writing. Language is taught phonetically and multi-sensorial – with visual, auditory and kinesthetic activities. Word building and preliminary reading takes place through a natural progression that reflects an individual child’s readiness and own pace.
Mathematics – Hands on mathematic materials include exercises in quantity, symbols, place value and relationships between quantities. Because work progresses from concrete to abstract using manipulative materials, children easily grasp mathematical concepts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions. The exercises not only teach the child to calculate, but they provide a deep understanding of how number function.
Cultural/Social Studies – These activities are designed to help the child become aware of and appreciate the diversity of the world. By examining the human, plant and animal world, the child gains exposure to the life that surrounds them. The child is taught a respect for taking care of their environment. Continent and country studies introduce the child to people, geography, music, food and art.
Scientific studies have proven the need for early childhood education. Children have a “sensitive” period between the ages of 2 to 6 where their brains are open and rich for absorbing and learning. Much like learning a language, children exposed to reading and mathematical concepts at an early age are much more apt to take these lessons and expand on them at a much faster rate than children in a “play” based, traditional setting. Experience has proven over and over again that children will rise to the level that is set for them. The vast majority of our students are reading and doing simple math problems before kindergarten, and the very best part of it is, is that they love it! We see over and over again the joy in a child’s face when they have accomplished a new task. The environment in the classroom is a joyful one full of many, many learning opportunities in a wide range of subjects. I guarantee that you will not regret enrolling your child in our school!
Please browse through our website for more information regarding our program. Montessori is the answer!
Warm regards,
Nayna Patel
Owner and Director