Is Montessori worth the money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montessori is expensive because they must pay more for rent where as religious preschool gets a hug reduction in rent. The extra money isn't going directly to the staff or program

Agree. The extra money goes to the owners, so they can travel, build houses with marble floors, etc.

But don't forget the religious preschools ask for extra money almost every day for fundraising events. That being said, it costs around $200 more /year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Montessori makes the materials available and the structure inherently offers a great deal of flexibility as to when a child might take on the task of learning a new skill - there's not a strict sense of "not this until 3, that until 4"; my daughter can work on her letters as soon as she's interested and doesn't have to wait two years to get started. For us, that's worth the extra cost.

This is not true for our DD in a Montessori school. My DD is 3 so is only doing practical life (washing tables, etc.) She went in knowing so much more (all her letters, letter sounds, count to 100, etc. - note, I did not teach, she picked up through songs and games from preschool). Now, she is WAY behind where she was because she is not allowed to touch any of the materials that are slated for 4 or 5 year olds.

This seems to be a misconception for Montessori. There is a year-by-year curriculum and your child will not do anything advanced as a 2 or 3 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Montessori makes the materials available and the structure inherently offers a great deal of flexibility as to when a child might take on the task of learning a new skill - there's not a strict sense of "not this until 3, that until 4"; my daughter can work on her letters as soon as she's interested and doesn't have to wait two years to get started. For us, that's worth the extra cost.

This is not true for our DD in a Montessori school. My DD is 3 so is only doing practical life (washing tables, etc.) She went in knowing so much more (all her letters, letter sounds, count to 100, etc. - note, I did not teach, she picked up through songs and games from preschool). Now, she is WAY behind where she was because she is not allowed to touch any of the materials that are slated for 4 or 5 year olds.

This seems to be a misconception for Montessori. There is a year-by-year curriculum and your child will not do anything advanced as a 2 or 3 year old.

I am a Montessori teacher, and this is just not true. I respectfully disagree.

[Anonymous]

PP here..... I should have said this is not true if the classroom is run by a GOOD teacher. If your child is ready for more challenging work (this includes having the focus/discipline to carry the work through- not just the cognitive ability) then a good teacher will encourage your child to work with the more challenging materials that many of the older children are working with. Also, there is value in the practical life exercises....for example, it is so much more than just washing a table....it is learning how to independently set up an activity, learning self-reliance, strengthening hand muscles, working on concentration,sequencing steps, and the completion of a task from set-up to completion. I could go on but this is just 1 example. Please let me know if you have any questions about my post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montessori is more expensive because their licensing requirements for both the facility and the teachers are very specific and stringent and the physical materials used in the classroom are made of solid wood and durable real materials - it's not cheap to stock up a Montessori classroom. The Montessori certification is not as common as a degree in education, so those teachers obviously earn more, just like a yoga instructor with a prenatal certification gets paid more - it's a less common, but highly sought after certification.

That said, whether it's "worth" it or not to you & your family depends on what you're looking for. My child would be happy to attend any of the preschools we toured - she loved going to all the open houses with us. But she also has certain things she's interested in learning that the play-based schools don't incorporate into the day until you're in the 4's room. She's 2, so I don't feel it would be right to send her to a school where it's assumed that she should wait two years to learn the things she's interested in now. Montessori makes the materials available and the structure inherently offers a great deal of flexibility as to when a child might take on the task of learning a new skill - there's not a strict sense of "not this until 3, that until 4"; my daughter can work on her letters as soon as she's interested and doesn't have to wait two years to get started. For us, that's worth the extra cost.

My daughter's teacher was certified and made $10/hr.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Montessori makes the materials available and the structure inherently offers a great deal of flexibility as to when a child might take on the task of learning a new skill - there's not a strict sense of "not this until 3, that until 4"; my daughter can work on her letters as soon as she's interested and doesn't have to wait two years to get started. For us, that's worth the extra cost.

This is not true for our DD in a Montessori school. My DD is 3 so is only doing practical life (washing tables, etc.) She went in knowing so much more (all her letters, letter sounds, count to 100, etc. - note, I did not teach, she picked up through songs and games from preschool). Now, she is WAY behind where she was because she is not allowed to touch any of the materials that are slated for 4 or 5 year olds.

This seems to be a misconception for Montessori. There is a year-by-year curriculum and your child will not do anything advanced as a 2 or 3 year old.

This just isn't true. My son's infant class did more advanced practical life skills than what you are describing. If your description is accurate, there is either something wrong with your particular school or your particular child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montessori is expensive because they must pay more for rent where as religious preschool gets a hug reduction in rent. The extra money isn't going directly to the staff or program

You're forgetting that there are Montessori preschools run by religious institutions. They charge more than a part-time play based preschool (because Montessori is M-F) but less than a secular run Montessori school.

[Anonymous]

i totally agree with PP,,,,,Tooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

IMO Montessori is only useful for age 3 and up. It may be logistically worthwhile at age 2 to give consistency when you are planning to stay at the same facility for the later years.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you stay at home and if you're really hands on with your child, I believe either one is good. Your child can gain more from you then any preschool can teach them. With this said, Montessori is not good if you cannot afford it.