Although the entrance age varies in individual schools, a child can usually enter a Montessori classroom at age three. They will begin with the simplest exercise based on activities which all the children enjoy.

The equipment which they use at three or four will help them to develop the
concentration, coordination and working habits necessary for the more advanced exercises they will perform at five and six. The entire program of learning is purposefully structured. Therefore, optimum results cannot be expected either for a child who misses the early years of the cycle, or for one who is withdrawn before they finish the Montessori Program.

Parents should understand that Montessori preschool is neither a baby-sitting service nor a play school that prepares a child for traditional kindergarten. Rather, it is a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child’s sensitive years between three and six, during which they can absorb information from an enriched environment.

A child who acquires the basic skills of reading and arithmetic in this natural way has the advantage of beginning their education without drudgery, boredom or discouragement. By pursuing their individual interest in a Montessori classroom, they gain an early appreciation for learning - the key to the child becoming a truly educated person.

Preschool enrichment activities include Spanish, computers, yoga, gardening, music, art, and creative movement.