Welcome to Northfield Montessori, and thank you for visiting!

 

For 20 years, Northfield Montessori has been wholly dedicated to the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development of children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. As you get to know us better, you’ll come to appreciate our comprehensive approach to childcare and learning, caring staff, and supportive community of parents and volunteers.

 

Northfield Montessori offers age-appropriate care to children weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in a wonderfully appointed, secure building on the north edge of Northfield. Our programs focus on four age groups:

 

• Infants (children 6 weeks to 16 months)

• Toddlers (children 16 to 33 months)

• Preschool (children 33 months to 5 years)

• Kindergarten (children who are 5 years old by October 31)

 

The Individuality of Each Child

 

Many people often wonder why Montessori emphasizes children of different ages learning together in a Montessori classroom. The answer lies in the individuality of each child. Since each child’s past experience is varied and each learns at a different speed, the Montessori classroom is designed to allow a child to choose the most appropriate level of materials to work on. All materials are assessed, and children can move from simple to complex as their own interests change. Having children of different ages in the Montessori classroom allows younger children models for imitation (the older children), and allows older children an opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by helping younger ones.

 

Because each child works at his/her own pace, there is no competition in the classroom. Only when children understand and are confident in the use of basic skills should any competition be introduced in education. Dr. Montessori wrote, ‘Never let a child risk failure until he[sic] has reasonable chance of success.’

 

Since learning is done at an individual pace in the Montessori classroom, different levels are easily accommodated. Advanced children in the same room can move from one piece of equipment to another very quickly, avoiding the boredom of waiting for other members of the class to catch up.

Pre-school children mature at very different rates and their periods of readiness for academic subjects vary a great deal. While some children may be ready to read or calculate at an early age, very early learning is not the norm, nor is it the objective of the Montessori method. Dr. Montessori’s ideal is that learning should occur naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child.

 

The Volunteer Philosophy

 

Foster the sense of community through volunteerism

One of Northfield Montessori’s underlying goals is to develop a sense of community among our families. We want our families to feel connected to each other beyond drop off and pick up of their children. Our hope is to help foster this sense of community through volunteerism.

Examples of Volunteer Opportunities:

- Fundraising

- Classroom Involvement

- Office Support

- General Building Maintenance