Media Children's House - Education in the Montessori Tradition

My daughter is in pre-school at Media Children's House. I am thrilled with the program and in awe of the changes in my child that I attribute to the school. She was extremely shy before her school experience began, only to become an independent, confident and social child under the guidance of the MCH staff. She is learning the alphabet and numbers, as well as computers and cooking ! Other pre-schools baby-sit, Media Children's House educates.

To capsulate the decision making process, you have to focus on the personal interaction between the students and the teachers. Both Catholic and public education in this area, lack the one on one relationships. In our experience, this has unlocked the thirst of knowledge in both of our children. It is our belief that this atmosphere has enabled our children to explore their true potential in a wide range of academic and real life arenas. We truly believe that we are giving our children the best chance to succeed and that ALL the teachers really care about our children's well being.

Both of my children began at age 2 1/2. One has graduated and one is currently in kindergarten. It was a natural and continuous process for the first child. We moved as September 1997 approached. We decided to keep the current kindergarten at MCH for many reasons: life skills and enrichment of prior learning would be lost through a transfer at this time, family environment has been shown at MCH and expansion of the program to grade 1 would help my kindergartener to strive. My child would not be bored with the varied curriculum provided at MCH. My older child always wants to return to MCH on days off from school because she always gets a hug and it is a fun place to learn -- this is the best comment a graduate could make!

Certainly a public school kindergarten would have been most cost-effective, but the sense of pride, accomplishment and best educational value could not be any better than here at MCH. This lesson was first learned by our oldest daughter, now in the fourth grade. Her love of learning and basic foundation has kept her tops in her class. Yes, all children are different, but our kindergartener has blossomed in kindergarten this year. I do not think that this would be possible in a setting other than MCH.

I chose MCH for pre-school because it is an affordable alternative to daycare. The environment is secure from outsiders, yet visible to parents. The teaching philosophy is supportive of the child and encourages independence. I placed my trust in MCH and am very pleased with my child's experience, which include some of the following developments: a confidence in her abilities, yet an understanding of her limitations, the ability to handle conflicts and connect with different people and an academic kindergarten progress comparable to many first grade programs. Kindergarten is not just more of the same at Media Children's House.

The rapport and individual attention that he shares with his teachers has given him an eagerness to learn and grow that he would not have gotten in public school. At MCH, he has a wide spectrum of subjects and has surprised us with his knowledge of math and science. But reading, writing and arithmetic are not the only skills he has learned. His social development has grown from the interaction with other children. We feel that the Montessori teaching method has benefited him in his learning and social skills.

We realized that our son had an excellent 2-year start in Montessori. If he were to transfer now to the public kindergarten, he would probably go no further than he is now, whereas if he stays in Montessori, he will reap the benefits of his past work under the enthusiastic guidance of teachers who will share his joy in learning.

We decided to keep our son in Montessori because the atmosphere and learning technique seem to fit with his personality. Since September, he has shown a wider interest in school. Just recently he seems to have gotten over a hump and is having an easier time with things that he was having difficulty with. It was an easy decision to keep him in your school. We are very pleased with his education thus far.

Cost was a factor. Even with after school care, it was still more costly. In the end though, all things were secondary to our son's education. That is what tipped the scales in favor of Montessori. He has done so well here and we are very pleased at where he is for six years old. Also, I like the idea of full day kindergarten. It makes the transition to first grade much easier.