Why are the costs of a Montessori kindergarten so high?

Many parents who have just heard of "Montessori education" often wonder: what is Montessori education exactly? This is a very complicated question, and may take days to answer. But in a word, it can be summarized as follows:

Help me do it myself.

We prepare the appropriate environment for children, and after teaching them how to do things, we let the children do things on their own and assist them when they are in need.

This is the core idea of Montessori parenting, which aims to foster focus, independence and a sense of order.

But behind this simple sentence lies the very high requirements for our kindergarten site, teaching aids and the teachers. So how did OVIS Montessori Kindergarten manage to do all these?

Walking into OVIS Montessori Kindergarten, you will be amazed to find that children are the owners of the place and everything is set up round them.

At 9 o’clock in the morning, the atmosphere of the classroom at OVIS Montessori kindergarten is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of a traditional kindergarten. In the classroom, all children are "working" quietly and intently. Even with our camera holding up against their faces, they can hardly notice it or stop their "work" at hand.

The cultivation of concentration is the best gift of Montessori philosophy to children.

They may be engrossed in completing puzzles; or tinker with a bunch of blocks of different shapes like an architect; or try to complete the operation of pouring water with a teacup... When one job is done, the children will consciously gather up all the materials, put them back in their place, and look for the next job that interests them.

This scene did not happen naturally. Thanks to the well-prepared site, well-designed education and professional companionship of teachers, children can "work" and learn independently and in an orderly manner.

A Waste of Site

Each space has its unique design

Montessori education believes that children should learn from their surroundings. As a result, a "prepared environment" has always been a concept emphasized in the educational law of Montessori. In OVIS, each space has its own unique functional design - here are some examples.

Reading Area

The years between ages 2 and 4 are critical to developing interest in reading.

Attracted by interesting picture books, children can soon calm down and absorb in stories. Picture books have a rich "language library", and through reading, children can slowly develop a phrase into a complete sentence. It’s undeniable that children who love reading will always be better at expressing themselves.

Picture book reading is the most basic form of reading for children. Through the combination of lines and colors as well as composition and formal aesthetics, the picture book enables children to easily understand the context of the story and the information to be conveyed and get physical and mental pleasure, which is in line with children's cognitive development level and reading characteristics.

At OVIS, reading is considered a daily routine for children.

Sensory Training Area

In OVIS Montessori kindergarten, there are professionally developed and well-rounded indoor sensory integration training courses. Through various shapes and sizes of sensory instruments, children can build up their balance and physical coordination.

The outdoor activities change themes periodically mainly in the form of group activities according to seasons and weather.

The collective games of the Outdoor Development Park are carefully planned as well，and there are many kinds of games which can assist in broadening children's thinking, managing their emotional stability and improving their concentration, leading to better learning.

Children can practice hand coordination through daily work in Montessori Work Area. We make full use of a variety of natural and waste materials or common items, and offer opportunities for children to draw, cut, fold, glue and do other art activities.

Some parents may worry: is it dangerous for such a young child to practice these activities alone?

Our answer is No.

First of all, these activities and teaching aids are designed with safety in mind. Secondly, teachers will choose suitable activities ahead of time according to children’s age and ability. Finally, teachers will watch over the entire activity process to prevent dangerous situations from happening.

Language Training Area

In fact, every corner of OVIS is an "English language training area".

As a working language, English has infiltrated every corner. Stories, poems, children's songs, pictures, conversations …everything that’s been carried on campus is in English.

At the same time, foreign teachers will accompany the children to study and play all day long. They will consciously ask the children to speak complete words, inspire them to think before speaking, and cultivate their language agility and logic.

The process of learning and communicating with foreign teachers is also the process of cultivating expression and communication skills. When they are immersed in the all-English environment every day, they can pick up authentic expressions very quickly, and English will be blurted out unconsciously. The language environment of native speaker can help children get rid of the shackles of Chinglish, develop English language sense, and be able to think in English faster.

OVIS Montessori Kindergarten places children in a prepared environment to experience the freedom of movement, the freedom to exploration, the freedom to socialize and the freedom to work without interference. Through interaction with the environment begins the internalization of the order around these children and thus to make them understand the world in which they are living in.

A Waste of Teaching Aids

Assisting the children with physical and mental development through 126 kinds of teaching aids

In ordinary kindergartens, more focus is put on teachers' teaching, and teaching aids are only prepared according to the needs of teaching activities, and there is no more correlation and logic between these materials.

In our kindergarten, Montessori teaching aids are one of the key elements of learning. Children's understanding and acquiring of knowledge are happening through the operation of these equipment. Error control is built in at the early stage of teaching aids’ design, and the work in each area is prepared for the development of different aspects of children.

As a professional Montessori kindergarten, OVIS Montessori Kindergarten has prepared 126 kinds of teaching aids for children. Each piece of Montessori teaching aids is philosophically designed and skillfully made, which plays a great role in the development of children.

In Montessori education, "work" and "teaching aids" both have obvious training purposes and cannot be equated with toys. Children can achieve self-education and self-exploration through operating visual and concrete equipment.

The reason why Montessori teaching aids cannot be equal to toys is mainly due to the following characteristics:

Our kindergarten generally does not have the concept of class, in other words, children can dominate their own learning. They can “work” and are free to choose or use the teaching aids. While the children are working, our teachers will not stand in front of the whole class teaching, he or she is more like an observer, to provide timely and appropriate help when the children are in need. This allows the child "large periods of uninterrupted time" and therefore, can stimulate focus.

Behind these teaching aids are the core of Montessori education - "respecting children, observing patiently, offering support in their exploration" and "believing that children have unlimited potential".

A Waste of Teachers

Teachers are the key to success in Montessori education

In ordinary kindergartens, when teachers discover some wrong behavior of the child, they will correct it immediately. They judge the students according to their own standard, and the child will learn whatever they say, leaving no space for the child to develop himself.

Montessori teachers respect the inner self-development process of children, and will not interfere too much and correct children's behavior. What they need to do is to help children understand themselves and complete the process of self-correction through demonstration, environment and material.

Montessori teachers respect the inner self-development process of children, and will not interfere too much and correct children's behavior. What they need to do is to help children understand themselves and complete the process of self-correction through demonstration, environment and material.

Teaching aids themselves have no absolute value. Whether they are effective depends on how teachers present them to children. Therefore, the quality of Montessori teachers really plays a key role in Montessori teaching.

This puts a high demand on the Montessori teachers at OVIS.

"A Montessori teacher must know where a child's attention is. When a child is focusing on an important task, the teacher must respect the child without correcting or suddenly giving praise. This disturbs children’s attention. However, A few teachers, who are only half-aware of this principle, hand out the aids to children and then silently step aside and do nothing about it. Then one tragedy will happen - the whole classroom will turn upside down." said Sophy, who is the head of the OVIS Montessori kindergarten, as well as an experienced Montessori teacher.

The so-called activities of non-intervention in children's learning and respect for children must be implemented when the child's essential development reaches maturity. That is, the child must already be sufficiently self-absorbed that when he shows an interest in something (curiosity alone is not enough), he can immerse himself in it.

It’s far more difficult for teachers to interfere at the right time, with the right way than simply instruct and command. This is dependent on the teachers’ careful observation of children.

At OVIS Montessori Kindergarten, all teachers have received professional training and have obtained the International Montessori Teacher Certificate for their age group. People who understand the value of this certificate know that there are only a few thousand of holders worldwide, and there’s even less in Wuhan.

The kindergarten also invites Montessori education experts to set up courses for teachers, and help them consistently improve their teaching level and better assist the children to grow up.

In addition, foreign teachers, Chinese teachers with oversea study experiences or who have passed TEM-8, as well as life teachers will all accompany the children all day long during school time. In this immersed language environment, English is just a tool for children to communicate, rather than a course that need to be learned from ABC.

Montessori teachers are the link between students and the vast world of knowledge. They help children to develop individual learning skills, the best way to learn, and an interest in learning.

When a child learns in a prepared environment, he learns to observe and wait, as well as the law of nature in the process of planting and harvesting.

When a child applies a special aid to finish independent work, he or she will obtain a sense of focus and independence. Working with their hands on a daily basis will become the norm;

When a child is placed under the guidance of a professional teacher, he or she will gradually build a bond with the world, and learn to study and "do it yourself".

This is what a well-prepared environment gives a child, not indoctrinated dogma and mantra.

A waste of site, a waste of teaching aids and a waste of teachers... These are not truly a "waste", but “worthiness”. High-quality education and the future of the children are worthy of our efforts.

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