Danville Campus

If you live or work in San Ramon and you are in need of preschool for your child – or children – Learn And Play Montessori San Ramon preschool is actually in Danville. The good news is that, as you know, it’s only three miles up the 680 which takes about ten minutes to drive, so you can drop your child off here and be at work on time with no trouble at all. [Read more…] about For San Ramon Preschool Come to Danville – It’s Close and Convenient!

Deciding where your child is going to go to preschool is a big decision. If you’ve been seriously looking into Montessori schools, there’s a chance you have a few questions. Let’s take a look at a few of the most commonly asked questions about Montessori schools.

How Many Students Are in a Montessori Class?
Any Montessori preschool, daycare, kindergarten, or grade school, strive to have small classrooms. This is because the values of the Montessori approach are perceived better in a smaller setting. Day cares for infants and toddlers tend to range from 10 to 15 students. This gives the teacher more of a chance to get to know your child as an individual rather than just one of their pupils. In public schools, the student/teacher ratio was 16.1 in 2013, but in a Montessori school, the ratio is much lower.

How Do Students Learn?
If you’ve been doing some research on Montessori programs you’re probably familiar with the idea that students aren’t given a set schedule, but rather are free to learn on their own. Many people may be questioning how a child is able to learn without any structure, but it’s actually quite helpful. A child that doesn’t follow a curriculum is given the chance to fully understand one concept before moving on to the next. This gives a child a better understanding of what’s going on and allows them to do things on their own.

Why Aren’t Students Graded?
The Montessori approach believes that grades are virtually pointless for a child and their learning. It says that motivation comes from within, rather external reinforcement. Even though grades aren’t assigned through a Montessori approach, the student is observed in terms of their progress and readiness to move on to a new lesson. Most Montessori schools will hold a conference each year for the family so they can see what their child has been doing and hear the teacher’s assessment.

Montessori schools are extremely unique, so parents may have questions about the approach before sending their child to one of their centers. Take a look at three of the most commonly asked questions listed above before sending your child in on their first day.

In 2004 to 2005, about 64% of two-year-olds had a highly expressive vocabulary. However, it’s not always easy to get your toddler to start saying more than a few coherent words. If you’re noticing that your toddler isn’t quite as vocal as most kids their age, don’t worry. They have plenty of time to vocally develop on their own, and they surely will with time. But there are a number of ways you can encourage their vocality and help coax the words out. Here are just a few basic ways to encourage your toddler to talk more.

Slow Down and Be Authentic
First, many parents use a sort of ‘artificial’ tone when speaking to their toddler. Though this is usually completely well-intentioned, it can actually negatively affect how the toddler perceives language. That’s why it’s important to speak to your toddler in a genuine and authentic tone. Similarly, it’s important to slow down enough so the toddler has the chance to separate and distinguish each different word.

“Talking to our babies in our regular, authentic voice (but a little slower) reminds us that we are talking to a whole person. It’s easier and not as likely to induce headaches…It models for babies the natural tone and language we want them to adopt. The more they hear language spoken properly, the sooner they will learn and try speaking it,” writes Janet Lansbury.

Don’t Pressure
Many parents think it’s encouraging to ask their child questions about words, colors, numbers, or anything around them in hopes of getting them to ‘perform’ for relatives and friends. Again, while this is usually well-intended, it makes the child more likely to get nervous and freeze up. This can have a negative effect if you’re asking your child questions too frequently. So, instead of coaxing (“say ‘cookie’ for your grandma!”), let your child develop their own natural dialogue.

Ultimately, there are countless ways we can encourage our toddlers to open up and be more expressive — it just takes time, patience, and understanding. Of course, it’s also always a good idea to start looking at preschools in Danville California to get your child interacting with others their own age. For more information about daycares and preschools, contact Learn and Play Montessori School.

[fusion_text]Are you looking for PRESCHOOL that will offer a UNIQUE and open environment that’s focused on your child’s NATURAL interests and allows them to set his or her own development PACE? At LAPMS we strive to provide a well-rounded education and instill in our children a love for learning.

OPEN HOUSE for Learn And Play Montessori School’s Danville Preschool Childcare Campus is on Saturday April 14th from 11AM to 3PM. This beautiful and spacious tudor cottage style campus is NOW ENROLLING and servers children ages 18 months to 6 years. For Any any questions, please call us at (925) 247-1000.

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If you are a parent of a child who is finally getting ready to go to preschool, you may be stuck deciding where to send them. And when deciding where to send your son or daughter, you not only have to choose which school to send them to, but you also have to consider what kind of preschool you’re going to send them to.

For many parents, the choice is between a Montessori daycare and one that’s more traditional. If you find yourself facing the same conundrum, it’s a good idea to take a look at why you should choose one over another. Let’s take a look at the differences between a Montessori preschool and traditional preschools.

Montessori

A Montessori education is based on the natural stages of human development. These schools offer a curriculum that is child-directed, self-paced, and focused on individualized learning. Children are able to take a self-allotted amount of time to work on one activity until they feel as though they understood and completed it. The teachers in the room will moderate and facilitate the use of their educational materials, all without interrupting the child’s path of learning. The idea is to help kids develop their own problem-solving skills alongside traditional academic skills. In addition, children learn vital social skills.

A Montessori preschool tends to focus more on providing different curriculums areas instead of scheduling precisely when these lessons are going to happen throughout the day. While it may sound chaotic, the Montessori method actually provides a highly structured space for learning, even if the time is extremely loose. These classrooms are also extremely quiet and calm compared to a traditional preschool, which is good for a child who finds themselves being overwhelmed by many people in one place. They also have a smaller amount of students in each classroom, so each student is able to have a more individualized relationship with their teacher. In fact, as of 2013 the student-teacher ratio in private schools was just 12-2. If you want to help your child become a self-directed individual with a love of learning, sending them to a Montessori preschool may be the best choice.

Traditional

In a traditional preschool, the learning is based on play. Playtime is often both open-ended and unstructured, but the time is more teacher-directed. Children will work with their teacher and other students to learn different educational lessons through the use of blocks, games, and music. Their environment, like Montessori schools, is supportive and also carefully designed.

Unlike a Montessori School, a traditional school is very focused on time. Each day, a child will go to the class and learn about a specific thing at a specific time. Once that time is up, the group moves on. The classrooms tend to be larger as well, which may mean the teacher might not have the opportunity to sit down with your child to focus on things they are struggling.

Montessori schools are a perfect place for a child to flourish in terms of developing their independence. Think about what you want from your child’s education and find which school would work best for you both.