#2 Mixed-Age Classrooms

Relationships: Respectful and responsive relationships are at the heart of our work. Our continuity of care model supports optimal development. Because our teachers are with your child for up to three years, they get to know your child well and as a result can individualize curricular experiences promoting their growth in ways that are more difficult if your child transitions from teacher to teacher every 6 to 12 months. 

Learning with and from each other:  Mixed-age classrooms are a key component of the Montessori method. Children stay together for up to 3 years. The benefits of the three-year cycle are many. It promotes deep relationships between families and teachers, teachers and children, and the children with each other. These early connections are the genesis of lifetime friendships. Finally, the children learn from each other. They get to be both nurtured and the nurturer, growing as learners and leaders together. Learning that collaboration is more advantageous than competition. 

Grace and Courtesy:  In Montessori we don’t leave learning interpersonal skills to chance - instead they are taught. Children at this age are naturally social and learning how to get along with others can be tricky especially in a mixed-age classroom that’s why our teachers present Grace and Courtesy lessons. These practical life lessons have a way of being implemented at home in addition to school.