montessori school - montessori programs

About Our Montessori School and Montessori Philosophy

montessori school

Montessori School History
Rita McElroy and a group of parents founded the montessori school in Westlake, Ohio in 1971. It was moved to Bay Village, Ohio in June 1981, and renamed Bay Village Montessori School. In August 2003, the montessori school returned to Westlake, Ohio and restored its original name of Montessori Childrens School, Inc. (MCS).

Montessori Childrens School is a non-profit, equal opportunity corporation governed by a Board of Directors. Our montessori school currently provides safe, carefully prepared environments for students from 2 years to 9 years of age.

The Toddler and Preprimary montessori programs are licensed by the Division of Early Childhood of the Ohio Department of Education. The State of Ohio Department of Education charters the Extended Day (Kindergarten) and Elementary montessori programs. The montessori school meets or exceeds all established state requirements. It is fully affiliated with the American Montessori Society.

Highly qualified Montessori-educated teachers, experienced in the Montessori classroom, are employed at Montessori Childrens School. The school is a family-oriented montessori school that values close working relationships among students, families and teachers.

Learn what is a montessori school.

Our Goals and Mission Statement
The Goals of Our Montessori School:
~To provide a warm, caring, family-oriented atmosphere that encourages children to develop and grow, both academically and personally, into responsible members of their community;
~To develop montessori programs with a solid academic foundation and encourage creativity beyond the foundation;
~To cultivate the child's sense of self-worth and sense within the greater community.

The goals are accomplished by respecting each child's personality and uniqueness, and by trusting in the potential of each individual. These montessori programs are the foundations of a successful educational alliance. It is through a cooperate atmosphere, in which students, teachers and parents work together as a team to achieve these goals at our montessori school.

The Mission of Montessori Children's School:
~To enrich the educational opportunity of the community by providing excellence in Montessori programs for children without regard to race, color, disability, ethnic, religious or national origin.

The Montessori Philosophy
The Montessori method is based upon the observations and discoveries of the first female Italian physician, Dr. Maria Montessori. Her montessori philosophy nurtures in children the joy of learning at an early age. It provides a framework in which intellectual and social disciplines coexist. She believed that that education is a lifelong process and it should be an aid to life. Her montessori philosophy was that children learn at their own pace; they develop according to their own timetable. Their physical, emotional, psychic and intellectual parts are interelated. Children must have freedom, within clearly defined limits, to develop their full potential. Our montessori school provides children with a prepared learning environment that helps them to think, organize, and to observe. The prepared environment and the role of the teacher distinguish the Montessori programs from other educational approaches. This child-manageable environment allows children to work in an independent manner. At our montessori school, the teacher functions as a guide or directess, aiding children in their choice of developmentally-appropriate learning materials. A child's parents are not his makers, but his guardians. They must protect him and have a deep concern for him like one who assumes a sacred trust.
~Maria Montessori

MCS is proud to be a full member of the American Montessori Society.