Preschool vs. Montessori

Many parents thinking about preschool, need to consider the advantages of choosing to send their child to Montessori school instead. Montessori is a popular choice among parents for their child’s early years, and it’s important to know the advantages of Montessori over preschools. Preschools offer daycare that may be — in some cases, such as private school — focused on early childhood education. These are structured learning environments for children before they begin Kindergarten Montessori is an entirely distinct alternative complete with its own learning style, methods and philosophy.

Both offer excellent options for our young learners. Examine both to determine the best fit for your preschool-aged child. Full day or half day learning for young children is offered by most provinces across Canada, but there are distinct advantages to trying preschool in a private school.

Early Childhood Education at private schools:
• Programs focus on learning
• Offer children a head-start on their education
• Gives children taste of what school will be like
• Some have funding available for parents
• Sometimes ECE tuition may be eligible for tax credits
• Some offer advanced education at early ages (i.e. Elmwood school offers International Baccalaureate for children three years of age).

Read more about early childhood education.

Vs. Montessori schools
• While a popular choice for pre-school, Montessori is for children from infancy to 18 years (depending on school)
• Versus public and private schools, Montessori offers a child-centred learning environment (where the teacher is the center of the classroom in any other environment).
• Teachers don’t lecture, but guide in Montessori. They assist students with discovering their true potential through challenging experiences to be completed uninterrupted in a learning environment
• Student directed learning is emphasized vs. learning based on a prescribed curriculum
• Montessori promotes a hands-on approach to learning versus a focus on seatwork.
• They aim to develop all aspects of child’s psyche – emotional, spiritual and intellectual – to develop well-rounded individuals.

Montessori Casa versus preschool
Many parents choose to send their children to Montessori for preschool years, as an introduction to the private school system or even versus traditional (and equally costly) daycare.

Montessori preschool programs are synonymous with the Montessori Casa program, where all aspects of the environment were created specifically for preschool age children to facilitate the education of young, curious minds. As opposed to the way school classrooms are centered around teachers, Montessori classrooms are centered around children.

In Montessori Casa:
• Each child learns at his or her own pace
• Children learn social skills, daily living skills, math, language phys-ed, and other traditional courses
• Children interact with others of different ages, creating an environment where younger students can learn from the older children, and older children have the opportunity to take the lead
• Students are guided by Montessori instructors who are trained in the Montessori philosophy.

Listed below are preschools. You can compare this to our list of Montessori schools.