Why Montessori?

We know parents have choices when it comes to their children’s education. We know these choices are not easy. Why do so many families choose Montessori?

Montessori education has been successfully serving children and families around the world for over a century. The basics remain - and for good reason. Our methods are consistently backed by current research in education and human development. As we move forward into a new future, we believe Montessori has what it takes to prepare children.

Montessori Meets Children Where They Are, Without Judgement

Conventional methods of education were developed specifically to prepare large numbers of children to enter the workforce. Traditionally, little thought has been given to differentiating instruction or catering to the needs of individual children. That has been changing in recent years, but many schools are still in the early years of personalizing education.

Montessori schools are specifically designed to allow individual children to move at their own pace. We know that learning is not linear, and that children are not ready to learn specific skills according to an adult-prepared timeline, or in perfect harmony with their peers. Kids who need more support with certain skills get that support, and those who are ready to move ahead are able to find the challenges they crave. We do not teach a whole class of children the same skill at the same time. While this may seem more efficient from the perspective of an adult tasked with teaching, it’s not necessarily what serves the children the best. No two people should be expected to grow at the same rate, and it’s our job as educators to meet children where they are and give them the support they need to get where they want to be.

Our School Cultivates Community

At Kindernest Montessori, we believe a Montessori school is more than just a place of learning—it is a home where relationships flourish. Our teachers are guides, gently supporting each child’s journey while fostering a deep sense of connection among children, families, and educators.

We embrace the power of community and strive to make meaningful connections in every aspect of school life. Some of the ways we do this include:

• We nurture our guides, providing opportunities for collaboration, professional growth, and rejuvenation through natural breaks in the year.
• Our educators stay inspired through ongoing development, including workshops with the American Montessori Society and the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts.
• We foster meaningful relationships, ensuring time for conversations between guides and parents about each child’s growth and needs.
• Families form bonds, finding support and friendship within our parent community.
• We celebrate milestones, traditions, and shared meals, embracing the warmth of our farm-to-table approach.
• Multi-age connections allow older children to mentor younger ones, reinforcing a sense of belonging.
• Our whole school gathers to celebrate learning and life’s everyday joys.

At Kindernest, we build thoughtful structures that make it easy for everyone—children, guides, and families—to find common ground, open meaningful conversations, and create a community where kindness and love grow.

Montessori Emphasizes More Than Just Academics...

Lots of people use the phrase ‘teaching to the whole child’ but in Montessori schools, we mean that on a very deep level. We do not teach just to convey academic information. In fact, academics share equal emphasis with our efforts to develop other aspects in our children, including emotional, social, sensorial, and practical life development. We integrate the arts and movement into everything our children do, rather than isolating these areas of study into a separate class. We intentionally teach children how to navigate and resolve conflict and how to adhere to grace and courtesy social norms.

Our greatest task is, we believe, to give children a global view of the world. We want them to understand the interconnectedness of all things so that they may be fully integrated members of their greater community as they grow and mature.

...But the Academics Are a Huge Strength

The above-mentioned being said, Montessori academics are often hailed as some of the highest standards there are. It is not uncommon to see four-year-olds in our schools reading, six-year-olds completing long division problems, and nine-year-olds classifying botanical specimens. These tasks are completed joyfully, in part because we present information in such a way that children discover it for themselves rather than passively taking in facts given by an adult.

Another reason Montessori students seem to work at an advanced academic level is because of what we call sensitive periods. Through years of observation, Dr. Maria Montessori noticed that young children seemed primed, and particularly interested and ready, to develop certain skills during very specific time periods. While, of course, there is variation between individual children, she noticed some general patterns that have helped us develop our curriculum. One interesting example is that of the study of geometry. Many of us were first exposed to the subject during our high school years, when it turns out that primary- and elementary-aged children are not only interested in geometry, but have a great capacity to learn far more than we typically give them credit for. This is why you may hear your five-year-old talking about rectangular prisms, or your seven-year-old discussing the differences between isosceles, right, and scalene triangles.

Montessori Aims to Lift Up Humanity

We know. This is quite the lofty goal. From the very beginning, Dr. Montessori saw it as her mission to improve the world through education. She believed that by giving children the honor and respect they deserved, the benefits would trickle through to families, the community, and society in general. She believed in the equality of all people and saw that education has the potential to be a great leveler.

Montessori schools aim for peace. This starts between individuals and involves teaching our youngest students how to be kind and gracious toward one another. Another important aspect of our work is having great respect for the environment and other living beings, as well as a reverence for the wide diversity of cultures around the globe. Combined, these elements are meant to cultivate children’s respect for themselves and others, as well as a desire to ensure connection and fairness for all.