Reply to Should I switch from daycare/preschool to Montessori? Bethesda/Rockville recs?

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[quote=Anonymous]My son is 3 years old and he is currently going to a day care that offers a preschool curriculum. We've been very happy with this place and my son likes it. But I'm worried that the curriculum is not challenging enough for him. He's a bright kid. He learns new things very quickly, is very articulate and creative. He seeks out learning on his own and asks a lot of questions.

I went to a Montessori preschool when I was his age and I remember learning so much while not even realizing that I was learning. I loved being able to sit with an activity for as long as I wanted and explore it, and I liked having individual attention from teachers who could explain things to me and answer my questions one-on-one. My son has a similar temperament. At home, he'll play on his own for long periods of time, constructing things out of blocks, cars, legos, animals, etc. and telling stories about them.

Anyhow, I'm realizing that as warm and wonderful as his teachers are at his current school, it really is just a day care and not a school per se. At our latest parent-teacher conference, his teachers expressed amazement that he could write his name and a couple of other words, and they said they would take him aside and start teaching him more advanced things "like the lower-case letters" (which he already knows). I think if he were given the opportunity and tools to learn more advanced skills, he would soak it up like a sponge.

At the same time, I don't want to push him too much. He is just a kid and he likes his school. He's shy and it's taken him a while to come out of his shell and feel comfortable speaking up in class and interacting with the other kids. He's doing well now. I worry that Montessori might be too isolating. When I transferred from Montessori preschool to a regular 1st-grade class, I had no idea how to socialize with other kids and I was labeled a "weirdo."

I guess I'm also beginning to explore this idea too late to actually enroll him in any of the montessori schools in my area (North Bethesda) this fall. I've scheduled some tours but I suspect the waiting lists are long. Because my husband and I both work full-time, we would need either an extended-day option at the school or we'd have to hire a part-time nanny.

Any thoughts? Should I just keep him where he is and maybe try to do some montessori activities with him at home? (Where do I learn how to do that?) Any recommendations for schools? There is a lot of conflicting information/opinion in my searches so far. Is there an organization that evaluates Montessori preschools? I am looking at Lone Oak, Manor, and White Flint Children's House so far. I have heard Franklin is good, but it's too far away. What about social skills - do they suffer in Montessori programs?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer, and I apologize for the rather vague post. [/quote]

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