Pre-School VS Montessori

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What are your thoughts/recommendations?

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

I think a montessori focuses on individual development and has an actual curriculum whereas a preschool just focuses on group activities, right?

I haven't looked into it in detail but I would prefer a montessori over a preschool.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

As far as my knowledge goes I think Pre-school comes before Montessori and concentrates on group activities and socialising and other things like table manners etc. Where as at Montessori level kids start learning the basic like Alphabets and numbers etc.

I myself is from Montessori background at our time there was no concept of pre-school and I have done quite well in education :blush:

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Where are you guys? In America? Pakistan?

I thought Montessori, Pre-school, Nursery and Kindergarden were all the same. Lol.

Here in England we have Nursery, Reception and then Year 1.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

^ as far as i know, in canada, there is pre-school, then kindergarten (junior and senior) in the public system, and montessori in the private, and montessori is equal to jk and sk. nursery is daycare, i think. or maybe pre-school* is* jk and sk... i'm confused.

anyway, montessori programs starts at 3. my mom is a montessori teacher and i used to help her study when she was getting her qualification so i read up on it along with her, and plus i saw the work she did with her kids (she had 4 year olds), and i'm 100% on board with the system. i find the montessori curriculum is a lot more rounded than what they teach in pre-school- study is more focused on each child's strengths, there's a lot of one-on-one teaching, and it was a mix of academics (amongst other things, her kids were doing (very) basic algebra!) and practical activities like putting on coats, tying shoe laces, tidying your classroom space, etc.

the only downside is that you are paying through the nose for it vs. public school which is free.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

You have to pay for preschools as well. Free education starts in kindergarten in public schools.Preschool typically starts at 3, when your child is potty trained. You could put her in a part time preschool program or a full day. It could be a private church based preschool, a franchise, or a Montessori. Tuitions vary.You do have go look around and see what you get for the money. Having sent two kids through preschool, I feel a lot of preschools these days are just rip offs. My kids didn't go to a Montessori but could read at age 4, we cared for well by their teachers, Had a great social and personal development...so really, I couldn't undertstand why I have to spend $800 a month for the best rated montessori here, vs the couple of hundred I did at their preschool. At the end of the day, a lot depends on how much the parent works with their kid as well, and your own kid's abilities, so I'd really look around and work with what works best with your priorities.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

This.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Since, I am a Montessori teacher, therefore I prefer Montessori. There are public Montessori schools too and they are as good as private.
I feel regular pre-k programs are based on play and children going to kindergarten from those programs have a difficult time switching gears in kindergarten. Also Montessori has a proper curriculum, is more structured, and focuses on the whole child not just one aspect of growth.

I also agree with Niki that parents play a big role in the development of their child.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

All pre-K programs in the US are private I think. But church-run daycares and preschools are much more affordable. Not sure montessori programs like that exist. It looks like $10K+ annually for Montessori in our area, for 2yo.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Good Infant and toddler programs are generally expensive because of that age group. I would suggest you to observe some facilities, both Montessori and non Montessori and then weight the pros and cons.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

the Montessori system does create well-rounded kiddies--but at a great price--unfortunately the ones near my home are $15,000!!!!!! A particular one goes until 6th grade--lots of sports, art programs, musical courses, as well as, foreign languages.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Does it matter which montessori? Does it have to be international accredited or just chose any school that says it teaches montessori?

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Is it wrong that I'm just not all that concerned about my kid's early education? I mean she's a smart enough kid, doesn't drool like an idiot and can basically function very well for her age. I just want her to take it easy for the first few years, go at her own pace, enjoy life. What do I need to do to make this happen?

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^ aahmed, does she go to daycare/preschool or anything? I've been home with mine, and I am thinking of putting her into something next year, cuz she needs it (and so do I :@: ). She is a little scholar too; I think she'll love it.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Sahar, we decided to send Kanzah to the masjid daycare/preschool and she loves the social aspect of it. She is also learning alot there, in her age group they do abc, 123, alif baa taa etc and things like up/down, left/right etc, just basic things. In the older age group (3+) they have more activities and teaching but a friend who recently transferred her kids from a regular day care to masjid day care said she didnt notice any difference in terms of activties offered to the kids.

And i agree with aahmed, kids should be allowed to be kids until school going age and meanwhile you can work with her at home. I have no montessori experience but i did briefly look into it and if we could afford it, i would have gone that route but at this point in time, we are really happy with the masjid day care where she is amongst kids who are mostly family friends and her teachers are who we see on a daily basis. I also take her to story times in the library when i can.

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I would go with either AMS or AMI or IMS. I wouldn't go with a school that is not accredited. I would also look if the teachers are certified or in-training.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

Sahar, my son will be 3 in October. He has the option of starting full-time private or public kindergarten in September 2012. I am having the same debate right now regarding private school v. public school. Few things to keep in mind before you make your decision:

  1. If your child is still in diapers, make sure you check to see HOW they change diapers/pull-ups. The standard policy is the same across the board, even for montessori schools. I won't go into details, but there is a reason why I did not put my child in a public/private pre-school. I was very fortunate enough to find a registered home daycare that is not only monitored regularly by the daycare company, but also by the Ministry of Education of Ontario. There are a few other boys his age and he has learned so much (how to share, how to care even more for others, etc.). He was used to the home environment and he, fortunately, went into another daycare set up in a home environment. So no montessori for him right now, which is fine until he is 4.

  2. Cost. Over here, montessori is roughly $1,200 per month plus before/after program care fees.

  3. There is virtually no debate over the classroom size and the individual attention the child will receive. Public schools here are just not up to par as private schools. Over here, you can have up to 30 little kids in the same classroom and trust me, they do not get all get attention. I don't know about the US but the Ontario school system is getting more crap every year. Look at the ratio of students per teacher. There is a difference between public and private school (private school winning this one by far). Yes, you can give your child tons of attention when they are home with you, but the reality is that they are in someone else's care for at least 7 hours (if you enroll them in the 9-4 pre-school program).

For me right now, the main concern is the cost. $1,200 is a lot of money on a single income per month. I know I can afford it, but I can't invest in our future IF I put him in private school. But you know what? He's just so smart, I can't take that risk of putting him into public school. I don't think I would be able to live with myself. He's so smart, he will just be dumbed down in public school. No offence to others, but i've seen too many kids go into public school KNOWING their ABCs and come out not knowing anything.

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

double post

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Re: Pre-School VS Montessori

my daughter has been going to montessori since age 3. they take kids 2.5 yrs provided they r potty trained. they have 2 yrs of casa (which is playschool and preschool) they r half days. then comes kindergarten around age 5 which can be half day or full day as per parent's choice. b4 montessori she attended 2 yrs old regular play school at a community center. but i'm more satisfied with montessori. my 2nd one will be starting out in same school from sept. it is however a public montessori which works with private casa/pre school programme. so first 3 yrs i had to pay(which is way cheaper than day home) and once she reached grade 1 its public fee. otherwise i wouldn't have afford it too.

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My children went to charter or traditional schools and we paid for pre-k school. I checked the Montessori schools too they are expensive like 800/mnth or above and pre-k is like 600/mnth. And I want my child to have less stress over education I don't wanna make them Einstein in 3 years so for me a little bit of playtime with fun education works better. They will learn eventually I just believe that we can put pressure on them at right age so Montessori clearly didn't work for me. And too me it was like special ed class where you have to take care of every single child.