Frequently Asked Questions about MCHD and Montessori

How far up (in grades) do you go?
MCHD enrolls children from 18 months through the sixth grade. Children must be 18 months for Pre-Three, or 3 for Preschool, by September 1. In 2009, North Carolina state law will require all children to be 5 by Sept. 1 to enter kindergarten. Elementary students are grouped into classrooms of first through third grades, and fourth through sixth grades, in keeping with the Montessori practice of mixed age classrooms.

How do the children get lessons?
In Preschool, the group is given lessons every day (and again in Extended Day at the start of the afternoon session). The children may also ask for a lesson with the work they have chosen, or the teacher will say to a child, “come, I have a lesson for you,” or will observe that a child would benefit from having the lesson again. In the Elementary grades, each child has a weekly work plan, based on the lessons to be given that week, and is expected to complete the assigned work during that period.

What does the curriculum consist of for each level?
See Academic Programs, where a detailed curriculum guide is posted for each level.

What’s the best way to see how Montessori education works?
Parents should call the office at 489-9045 to schedule an observation in one of our classrooms – this is the best way to see what MCHD is like. In fact, it’s so important, it’s a required part of our application process.

Why do you have mixed age classrooms?
The mixed age class (children stay in each class for three years at a time -- 2 in Pre-Three) allows children to be able to progress according to their unique developmental schedule. Each child enters “sensitive periods” at very individual times. The prepared environment of the classroom is ready for that child’s sudden eagerness to absorb the concept of number, or the desire to master pre-reading skills, for instance, whenever it occurs. Furthermore, older children learn by teaching the younger ones, and younger children are able to see what lies ahead (in what the older children are doing), which creates the desire in them to go on to the next set of skills. Finally, the mixed age class allows children to make progress in intellectual development, separately from their social and emotional readiness.

Is the Montessori ‘curriculum’ very structured?
Yes, but there is freedom within order. Young children thrive on order and regularity, seeking it out in their environment, but also need to express themselves individually and creatively. Our classrooms offer lots of both.

Do children get to ‘play’?
Yes, Montessori believed that children’s play is the work they do to be able to develop and grow into competent adults. Experienced teachers understand that there is a great deal or learning and practicing packed into what looks, to the casual observer, like ordinary play. Montessori termed what they do in the classrooms “work,” because children are driven to master new skills, and this play is as essential and vital to them as satisfying work is to adults.

What is a preschool child’s day like?
The children have one or two group times at some point during the morning, at which time there is singing, conversation, and a lesson is usually given to the whole group, introducing some new work into the classroom, or opening a new continent map, or conducting a science experiment, for instance. The children will have individual or group snack during the morning, and each class has at least half an hour on the playground every day. The bulk of the morning is given to the work period, during which children will choose and engage in work. The teachers will be giving individual or small group lessons during this time.

Do children do any art?
Yes, art is part of the offerings available in every classroom every day. Beginning in Extended Day, students get formal instruction in a curriculum that goes right through sixth grade, in the five elements of art (line, shape, color form, perspective), art history, and in the use of many media.

Music is also part of every day, through singing, and music theory and recorder lessons in Elementary; and Composer of the Month in Upper El.

Can children attend fewer than five days a week?
No, we find the regularity of five days a week is beneficial to the child’s security, knowing what to expect every morning (it’s a school day, it’s a home day). This follows the traditional Montessori curriculum.

What are the hours?
Pre-Three: 8:30-11:45; no after-school available
Preschool (3 and 4): 8:30-12:00; after-school until 2:45 or 4:00
Extended Day (age 5): 8:30-2:30; after-school until 4:00 or 5:30
Elementary (grades 1-6): 8:20-3:00; after-school until 4:00 or 5:30

What do parents do when school is out?
Little House offers No School Camp on Teacher Workdays, Parent-Teacher Conference days, and Winter and Spring Break. Little House also offers summer camp on a weekly basis for most of the summer. These programs are not available for Pre-Three students.

How many students are enrolled at MCHD?
120 this year, Pre-Three through 6th grade.

What is the student-teacher ratio?
Pre-Three: 1:6 (class of 12 with 2 adults)
Preschool: 1:11 (class of 22 with 2 adults)
Elementary: 1:9 or 10 (class of 18-20 with 2 adults)
These ratios are successful because 1) the children are taught to be so independent, and they need little help from adults for much of their work; 2) the older ones serve as models and helpers to the younger ones, and 3) the children stay in each class for three years in a row (except Pre-Three), so they know the procedures and teachers well. The best way to see how well it works is through a classroom observation!

How do teachers and parents communicate?
Our teachers are very available to answers quick questions on the playground, by phone, or by email. A more in-depth discussion can be scheduled at a mutually convenient time. Formal parent-teacher conferences are scheduled twice annually in November and March.

Are your teachers certified?
The lead teachers are trained and certified in an American Montessori Society-approved program. Most of our assistants have at least a bachelor’s degree, and are trained in-house. State licensed? No, they are not required to be.

How often do your teachers and assistants turnover?
We enjoy very low teacher turnover. Most of our lead teachers have been here a decade -- or three! – and even our assistants typically stay for several years, some of them leaving to go on to get their own Montessori certification.

Where do your students go after they leave MCHD?
Typically, about 50% go on to public schools, and 50% go on to other private schools. Recently, many of our graduates have gone to one of the two Montessori middle schools in Durham County.