Montessori v. Play-Based

[Anonymous]

I'm struggling to decide which option to choose. I know our DC would do well with either. Is a montessori school going to be warm & fuzzy and offer art, music, etc.? Is a play-based school too much like daycare?? Kind responses only, please. I'm really trying to make this decision and it would help to hear from other parents who have already decided. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm struggling to decide which option to choose. I know our DC would do well with either. Is a montessori school going to be warm & fuzzy and offer art, music, etc.? Is a play-based school too much like daycare?? Kind responses only, please. I'm really trying to make this decision and it would help to hear from other parents who have already decided. Thanks.

Montessori schools can vary quite a bit. We have experience with Franklin Montessori (Forest Hills), which is not terribly warm & fuzzy but has an absolutely awesome arts program.

[Anonymous]

Schools vary enormously even within these groups, so I think it's hard to answer this question in the abstract. That said, we ultimately decided against Montessori because we decided that our daughter would be happier in a smaller class with a higher student-pupil ratio. As for whether play-based programs are too much like daycare, I don't know what that means. The kids don't just run around unsupervised all day, but then again, I doubt that they do that at a good daycare either. They have a schedule every day; they have circle time; they have centers; they learn a lot, and they become good friends.

My children never went to daycare, but guess I'm struggling a little to respond to a post who asks for kind responses only but speaks so dismissively of daycare...

[Anonymous]

OP here, sorry about the day care comment. I honestly wasn't trying to be dismissive, I just didn't know how to articulate my thought very well.

To 13:55, do you get good feedback from the teachers at Franklin? Also, do the children make good friends like the PP mentioned in the Franklin setting?

[Anonymous]

We chose play-based. I don't know much about daycare, but our play-based school prepares children very well for getting into very competitive schools afterwards.

Every school is different, but I didn't like several things about the Montessori schools I visited: the emphasis on self-directed learning, the rigidity, and the lack of social group activities. (I'm sure these don't apply to all M. schools, but they did apply to the three that I visited.)

Anyhow, my daughter is barely three, and I feel strongly that she'll thrive in a warmer and more nurturing environment.

[Anonymous]

14:03 here

I can't even start to count the number of mistakes I made in that posting, the most important of which is: I meant to say, "teacher-pupil ratio." Thanks for ignoring them!

I also meant to say from what I've seen (we offered a space a few years back), I think Franklin is a fabulous school. The artwork the children do is amazing. The classrooms are light-filled and very calming. The couple of teachers I met seemed very nice. We have a number of friends who send their children to Franklin, and they seem very happy with it. My main reasons for choosing a different program, aside from the relatively large classes (which, I think, you find at every Montessori) were the limited outdoor space, the logistics, which were not great for us, and the relatively high cost.

[Anonymous]

OP, we are in the same boat. I think that Montessori has a distinct academic edge. However, I feel that socialization matters too. If I had a child that had developmental issues, like prematurity, I would go with Montessori since it fits all kids, and addresses almost every developmental area. But if I had an outgoing child, a kind of social butterfly, it would be play based.

My dd was premature and a social butterfly, so we were confused. We went with play based b/c of logistics. But I wish that we had gone with Montessori, since there are still some stubborn holes in her development.

My ds is very bright and introverted, we have not yet decided.

[Anonymous]

We got a lot of information about this by watching how dc responded in the respective environments. There are some kids who really seem to take to Montessori tools and that type of environment (as ours did) and others who do not.

[Anonymous]

The first thing I would say is for Montessori you have to visit the school. I visited three Montessori schools and all of them had a different vibe. My DH said flat out no way for one of the schools, and it was the one closest to us no less - he thought it too hard core Montessori. There was another person that loved the tour and seen other Montessori schools and had gone to Montessori program as a child and was ready to apply on the spot. Not getting too much into it - but there is a whole debate of AMI versus AMS (http://www.montessori-ami.org/ and http://www.amshq.org/index.html) and some find AMI the "strict" Montessori and others love it and say it is the most true to the vision.

We have one daughter starting a Montessori in the fall (currently going to a play-based program) and one daughter in play-based that we will likely keep there. I think my oldest daughter that will be going to a Montessori would have been perfectly fine (as in learned what she needed to be prepared for kindergarten) at a play based program, but we had other reasons for wanting to move her that had to do with her late year birthday. I think her constant curiousity about how things work and the world around her will make her a good match for the school and at the end of the day she will pick up more than she would have where she was. Also the program we picked had enough art, enrichment including movement class, plus outdoor time and group activities that I think she will get the social time also. For us it seemed like a good balance. Now for my other daughter (2) - she is very playful and loves to run around, constant motion and her happiest outdoor thing is the sand box. There were some Montessori programs I clearly could not picture her there if we thought to have both of them at the same place. And honestly, the cost of sending two to the Montessori gave us hesitation. So while I think there could be things my youngest could benefit from at Montessori - I don't feel as confident of those benefits as I do with my oldest. We also feel our youngest is doing well in a play-based program (she is happy, knows the ABC song, some numbers, and colors at 2) and I know the program will prepare her well for kindergarten and too be honest I love the school community and the teachers - so I see no reason to move her.

[Anonymous]

Montessori schools vary so much, as others have pointed out. My MIL is the director of one, and her school is indistinguishable from a play-based school in almost every way. The toys she has at her school are for the most part identical to the ones in my kids' play-based school, especially the ones that help with pre-mathematic and literacy skills. The main difference I've seen is that my kids' school pays a lot more attention to dramatic play while hers emphasizes "practical" play - (let's make snack and then clean up afterwards).

It really depends on the individual schools involved. Not every Montessori is like my MIL's, and not every play-based school is like the one my kids attend.

[Anonymous]

You really do need to visit a few play based & Montessori schools to see the differences between the styles.

Going into the process last fall, we were very open about the type of school, but quickly settled on Montessori schools after visiting a few of each (plus a Waldorf school too).

Montessoris are all different, but they do share a common calmness of environment and multi-age classrooms. I also came away with the impression that they seem more optimistic about what kids are capable of and, I think, challenge them more.

DS is almost through his first year in a 2's Montessori program with 13 kids, 1 teacher and 1 aide. I am amazed by what he & his friends can do: they know their alphabet cold, and are starting to sound out small words. They know their numbers through 20 in English and through 10 in Spanish. They know their continents and can point to where we live on a globe. They can hold pencils & crayons 'properly' and can use scissors and glue pretty adeptly to create all kinds of artwork. Most of the kids in the class are potty trained (at least for daytime). They can set a table, and clean up after themselves. Watching them in class, they seem pretty good at sharing and are happy at pretend and 'real' work.

DS is a bit hyper and is a very kinetic learner, so this approach has really helped center him and focus his attention span. One Montessori director (at a school that we didn't wind up going to) said that the approach can really be useful to kids w/ dyslexia or other learning issues because it offers so many different ways to approach learning the same material. So that was also comforting to learn and makes a lot of sense.

Another thing to consider: what age spread do you feel comfortable with? At all of the Montessoris that we visited, they group 3-4-5 year olds together with the idea that the younger kids learn from the older ones and the older ones enjoy mentoring. As ours is an only child, I thought this aspect was also important. In this way, Montessoris can be quite social. Kids are not squirreled away into individual bubbles. Many of them - even at AMI style places - still do work together (it's called 'work' but more like little learning puzzles/activities). And some Montessoris include 'circle time' etc.

In contrast, we visited 2 play-based schools that came highly recommended here at the border of DC-MoCo. They did seem cheerful, but a bit chaotic - kids running around the classrooms and hallways, singing or screaming. Yes, there were more aides, but they looked a bit overwhelmed/exhausted or just numb to the noise. Both of these schools are extremely popular with our neighborhood, and they do produce pretty well-adjusted kids. So, I think it is probably just me being a bit sensitive to noise!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: DS is almost through his first year in a 2's Montessori program with 13 kids, 1 teacher and 1 aide. I am amazed by what he & his friends can do: they know their alphabet cold, and are starting to sound out small words. They know their numbers through 20 in English and through 10 in Spanish. They know their continents and can point to where we live on a globe. They can hold pencils & crayons 'properly' and can use scissors and glue pretty adeptly to create all kinds of artwork. Most of the kids in the class are potty trained (at least for daytime). They can set a table, and clean up after themselves. Watching them in class, they seem pretty good at sharing and are happy at pretend and 'real' work.

This program sounds fantastic. Do you mind posting which one it is?

[Anonymous]

To 08:42, our DS is at Montessori school of chevy chase. Ms Janki is the 2's teacher, and she is amazing!

[Anonymous]

Something I like about Montessori schools is that they try to help each other. The good ones, at least. AMS has a national conference each year. Teachers attend to go to workshops and share ideas. During the teachers' training they are required to observe other Montessori classrooms in other Montessori schools. If you do not get into a school you liked, ask the school you did get into if they have a similar program or whatever. Chances are, they do or would be very open to learning about it.

[Anonymous]

I am also trying to decide to apply to a Montessori or play based preschool. Recently visited a Montessori and was impressed by the order in the school, and how independent and bright the little ones seem to be. The school i saw had pretty small class size which i liked but understand it is not the norm. I like the idea that they try to foster sharing and courtesy there and seems like a child would learn a lot there. On the flip side, the kids almost seem too well behaved, didn't see a whole lot of smiling or group activities. I don;t like the term work for the tasks they do although I realize there is a purpose behind each task but it seems to be at the expense of group interaction. Also do all Montessori preschool demand attendance 5 days a week. That seems a little much for a child starting preschool. Any further thoughts would be appreciated on pros or cons.