An increase in the understanding of the benefits of Montessori educational methods in recent years has led to the need to expand Vancouver Montessori School’s operations and facilities for toddler-aged children in the area.
One of the very few schools in southwest Washington that provides this method of education to children as young as 12 months, Vancouver Montessori School offers carefully prepared environments in which young children are free to respond to their natural tendency for purposeful work.
The Montessori Method is centered around the child and is designed to assist them with their task of inner construction. It is successful because the universal principles of child development can be readily discerned in all children regardless of culture, status, or time. Classrooms are mixed-age, multi-year communities made up of one to three-year-olds in the Toddler Community and three to five-year-olds in the Children’s House.
School staff realized, over the last few years, that there was a strong need to expand their facility to provide the proper Montessori-based education and classroom space for the increasing number of toddlers now attending the school. Up to 28 children can be served in the expanded facility, with up to 14 per classroom supervised by one AMI trained teacher and one to two assistants.
The planning, construction, and licensing process leading up to the school’s new Jasmine and Sweet Pea rooms took close to a year, and is now open. Features of the new toddler classroom include space for multiple pets, an open, child-friendly bathroom, quiet spots, as well as space for big movement. The rooms are divided into areas for practical life such as pouring, cleaning, and self-care, as well as language, art expression, movement, and activities leading to independence.
“We recognized, over time, a growing need in our community for expanding our program to offer quality care to more toddlers. ” said Kendra Suzane.
Read More: Montessori Preschool Program