Maria Montessori 1870 - 1952 Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy, and was the first woman to graduated from the University of Rome with a degree in medicine. She also studied anthropology and showed that developmentally disabled children could be educated. She opened her first preschool, in a public housing project in Rome, on January 6, 1907. Maria Montessori's educational philosophy is informed by the work of Froebel, Piaget, and other educators of her time. She believed children must become independent in their care of themselves and in their learning. She taught mutual respect among teachers, parents and students. She acknowledged that each child is an individual, who learns at his/her own pace and according to his/her own interests. Montessori designed materials that, through the child's exploration of them, teach various educational concepts. The place of the teacher is to create the learning environment and guide the child, step by step, through the curriculum. Dr. Montessori was a feminist and social reformer who believed that world peace can only be achieved through education of the world's children. The Montessori Classroom environment is quiet and relaxed, exciting and full of challenging academic work that children find fun and rewarding. Activities are designed to allow each child to achieve his/her full academic potential. When a child is challenged and stimulated by the work available, he/she will choose to work without encouragement. He/she will concentrate and achieve success through his/her own desire to succeed. At Alice’s Montessori, specially trained teachers will love and nurture your child while guiding him/her along an individual path of learning. Our teachers are patient and understanding, allowing children the time they need to be successful. There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment to build self-confidence and a desire to go on to the next challenge. In the Montessori classroom, time belongs to the child. If a two year old really wants to button his own jacket, he can work on it as long as he likes. The teacher is not in a hurry, and does not feel the need to do for the child what the child can do for himself. Let the teacher not lose sight of the fact that the goal sought is not an immediate one, but rather to make the spiritual being which she is educating capable of finding his way by himself. -Maria Montessori Observe! Alice’s Montessori would like to invite you to come in and see for yourself what Montessori is all about. With an appointment, you can observe the children at work, see the environment and ask any questions you might have. Our Walnut Creek school opened in 1983. The building is a home which was converted into a preschool. It still maintains much of the home-like atmosphere, making it a comfortable environment for children to learn and play. The school is located within walking distance of the Pleasant Hill Library, public parks and the Lindsey Wildlife museum. We often take the children on outings to these and other nearby venues. We provide healthy snacks and pure water, and use organic, biodegradable cleaning products. 3158 Putnam Blvd.Walnut Creek CA 925-947-0603 Director: Shawn Galvin HOURS: M-F 7:00AM-6:00PM Open year round except major holidays Closed 2 weeks for Christmas/New Years license #073403870 5 Full Days: $875.00 4 Full Days: $700.00 3 Full Days: $575.00 5 Half Days: (9:00-1:30) $550.00 add $50 for 2 year olds Initial/Yearly registration $100 Kindergarten – 5 Days 9:00-1:30 $700.00 Shawn Galvin received her Bachelors Degree from Roosevelt University and an American Montessori Society Pre-primary Certificate. She has been teaching for 27 years, the past eight, at Alice's Montessori. Our Antioch Campus opened in 1997. Located minutes from Highway 4, just a ¼ mile north of the Hillcrest Avenue exit. We chose a beautiful home on a spacious lot and designed the perfect environment for young children to spend their day learning and playing. We provide a home away from home, parents are confident their children will feel loved and cared for. Our nurturing staff, along with the array of Montessori materials, ensure a fun and engaging learning experience. The play yard is large and inviting. Children can run and play, climb and slide, dig and build sand castles with their friends and teachers. Healthy snacks are provided in the morning and afternoon. The children often enjoy helping to prepare their own snacks. Antioch CA 925-754-6771 Director: Ramona Little HOURS: M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM Open year round except major holidays Closed 2 weeks for Christmas/New Years license #073403871 5 Full Days:$875.00 4Full Days:$775.00 3 Full Days: $600.00 5 Mornings:$625.00 4 Mornings:$550.00 Kindergarten$775.00 Ramona Little attended Santa Barbara University. She received her Montessori Certificate from the World Montessori Institute. She has been a preschool teacher for 17 years and a director with Alice's Montessori for eight years. Alice Perez Fun Time: In addition to academics the Montessori environment provides lots of opportunities for social interaction and recreation. Our outdoor environments give children plenty of time to develop their motor skills and learn to play cooperatively. Everybody loves a party! We celebrate birthdays, graduations and cultural events from many countries. Field trips are planned several times a year to the pumpkin farm, the zoo, etc. Regular parent meetings inform parents about philosophy and curriculum as well as providing a forum for meeting new families. Art/Music Appreciation: Children are introduced to various styles of music and art, from both classical and folk traditions. They see and hear examples of these works and use their experiences to create their own unique works. Of course there are plenty of opportunities to express themselves in song and dance. Art materials are always available for the children to use in creating drawings, sculptures, etc. This complements the cultural curriculum as children learn about the art and music of other cultures. Geography: Where are we? We are in the universe in a galaxy called the Milky Way, on planet called Earth, on a continent called North America, in a country called the United States of America, in a state called California, in a city called Walnut Creek/Antioch. By moving from the general to the specific, a child learns his/her place in the universe. History: Beginning with the concepts of yesterday, today and tomorrow, children begin to understand the passage of time. The timeline, a fundamental Montessori apparatus, can be utilized to illustrate any progression of events. The timeline of the evolution of life on earth provides the foundation for a child's understanding of the natural world. Science: Children are introduced to basic concepts and classification of the natural world. Through hands on experiences and experimentation, the sense of wonder and understanding about the world around us unfolds. Language/Reading:Language in the Montessori classroom begins with verbal skills. The very young child is encouraged to express himself and communicate his desires to his teachers and peers. The children start with picture/name recognition. Natural progression leads to letter recognition, letter to sound recognition, simple word recognition, sounding out words, matching objects to the letters that spell the object, to reading basic words, sentence building, and eventually reading books designed for their level. As language develops, the progression to writing comes naturally. Children can not wait to put what they know down on paper. Writing begins with the strengthening of the pincher grip needed to correctly hold a pencil. In the Montessori classroom children have been developing this necessary control through sensorial works such as the knobbed cylinders. Free form coloring soon turns to the drawing of shapes which develops into the formation of letters and eventually into words and sentences. Math: The Math area of a Montessori classroom allows each child to start at their own level and progress at their own pace. Children may choose a work over and over until they are satisfied they have successfully mastered the activity. Children start with the very basic skill of rote counting and progress to the concrete concept of quantity to symbol. Simple addition, subtraction, even multiplication & division follow. Activities such as the positive or negative snake game or the bank game reinforce simple concepts in a fun way. Sensorial: A child learns through his/her senses. The sensorial materials develop the child’s ability to order and categorize the information gleaned through his/her senses. Children explore colors, sounds, smells, tastes, sizes and weight by matching and ordering the materials. These sensorial experiences prepare a child for other areas of the curriculum. They develop vocabulary (long, longer, longest); they prepare for advanced math concepts (the binomial/trinomial cubes); they learn fundamentals of science (temperature and weight materials). Practical Life: Everything begins with “practical life experiences”. In the Montessori classroom Practical Life activities take center stage for our very young or new students. In the Practical Life area of the classroom, a child will find individual activities that allow him/her to practice and eventually master skills they need to become independent and self sufficient. The first lesson children are introduced to in this area is learning how to choose their own activity, and return it to the shelf when finished. Items found in a kitchen such as tongs, funnels, basters, scoopers, ect. are placed in this area where the children can take their time to investigate, manipulate, and practice until successfully learning the use them for themselves. In a Montessori preschool classroom, the kindergarten year is the culmination of everything the child has learned in the previous years. The young child absorbs information from the environment and organizes it in his/her own mind. Around the age of five, he/she explodes into written language, mathematical computation, cultural understanding and complex social interactions. We strongly encourage parents to have their child remain in a Montessori environment for their kindergarten year and beyond; however, our kindergarten program prepares children for a positive experience in any elementary program.