Children’s Montessori School is an early childhood preschool program that follows the philosophy and principles of Dr. Maria Montessori.

The program encompasses the Montessori Method of teaching and learning and incorporates the ideas and philosophies of the Dr. Maria Montessori.  The school was founded in 1998 by the owner and Director, Tracy Taylor.  Tracy discovered the Montessori Method of education during her college years while in school for Elementary Education; it was then that she decided to pursue her career in Montessori education through the Center for Montessori Teacher Education in North Carolina. All three of Tracy’s children began their love of learning in Montessori Schools and are well grounded successful young adults today.

Children’s Montessori School began on Horseshoe Drive in South Central Naples in 1998.  The current location is located in North Naples, Florida at 2535 Northbrooke Plaza Drive. We are celebrating our “25th Year Anniversary”  and are so thrilled with all of the many children we have had the privilege to watch grow and learn along the way!

The program began serving children from the community ages three through five, and later included classes for the Toddler age child.  Currently we offer classes for student’s age twelve months through five years of age.  It is the fondness of children; the confidence in the Montessori methodology, and the zest for learning that children inhabit that brought this program to be.

Dr. Maria Montessori

Dr. Maria Montessori characterized the young child as possessing an extraordinary capacity, the ability to literally absorb information from his or her surroundings.  Dr. Montessori named this quality “the absorbent mind.”  Its reality has been further documented by recent neurological research.  Young children are sensorial explorers, soaking in every aspect of the environment, including language and culture.  Dr. Montessori recognized the motto of the young child to be “help me to do it myself. Children’s development during this period focuses on learning to be independent.  The corresponding educational environment, then, should support this natural drive, enabling children to become competent, and therefore, confident.

The Montessori Method embraces the full development of children, addressing all aspects (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual) of the whole child.  The Montessori preschool classroom is a “living room” for children. Children choose their work from among the self-correcting materials displayed on open shelves, and they work in specific areas.  Over a period of time, the children develop into a “normalized community,” working with high concentration and few interruptions.  Normalization is the process whereby a child moves from being undisciplined to self-disciplined, from disordered to order, from distracted to focused, through working in the environment.  This process occurs through repeated work with materials that captivate the child’s attention.  In the Montessori classroom, academic competency is a means to an end, and the manipulatives are viewed as “materials for development.”

Children who have been educated using the Montessori Method grow into competent students who love learning.  The solid foundation begun early in life creates a self-confident, contributing adult.  For more information on the Montessori Method or Dr. Montessori and her works, refer to our resource guide in the office, the library, or online services.

Montessori Resources

• American Montessori Society
• North American Montessori Teachers Association
• International Montessori Council
• National Association for the Education of Young Children