Many parents are confused about the difference between Montessori preschool and public preschool, and there are, indeed differences.
Public preschools in California have to follow the state preschool curriculum which is set out in three volumes. Volume 1 focuses on four learning domains: social-emotional development, language and literacy, English-language development, and mathematics. Volume 2 covers visual and performing arts, physical development, and health. Volume 3 covers history, social science, and science.
The difference between Montessori preschool and public preschool is that the Montessori method allows each child to learn about something that interests him as opposed to the diktat of the state curriculum. Classrooms which, in Learn And Play Montessori campuses, are large and have plenty of natural light, stock a huge choice of Montessori materials which cover a range of subjects, and from which each child is allowed to choose anything he or she wishes.
Quite obviously, this will be something that catches his or her eye and will therefore be something that the child finds of interest and thus wants to find out more about it. As you can quickly see, this is the big difference between Montessori preschool and public preschool methods, because in the Montessori method he/she is learning about something for the simple reason that he or she wants to do so.
Learning Becomes A Pleasure
So, rather than sitting at a desk or cross-legged on the classroom floor listening to a teacher talking about something that the child might find interesting – but then again, may very well not – our children at Learn And Play Montessori Schools very quickly develop an interest in learning about things because they want to. This is something that will benefit every child for the rest of his or her life, because when required to learn something, for instance, about a job or career, they will be keen to do so. Learning becomes a pleasure as opposed to a drudge.
Another big difference between our Montessori preschools and the public preschools is the hours. At Learn And Play Montessori, all of our campuses – which, incidentally are expanding rapidly as we are opening new ones because of the demand – are open at 7.00 am and they stay open until 6.30 pm. This is perfect for families where both parents have to work, which is the case for a lot of families these days, because you can’t just take an hour off to collect your child at 3.00 pm.
It also means that your child gets longer hours of learning, so will go further and faster than those with the short public school hours.
