The Kindergarten hunt, part one of... (holds head in hands)

So as some of you might recall, Patrick and I are exploring options for next year that are outside of the public school system. Today I toured a private Montessori school that several of our parent friends used for preschool that is now expanding into a preschool-fifth grade program spread among three campuses. There is a wait list, but but they are opening three classes next year, so fingers crossed.

The campus I toured houses Pre-K through primary students, ages three and a half to seven, and the curriculum… is wonderful. It covers damn near everything I want to cover with my kids in terms of academic subjects The social studies they cover includes geography, and focuses not just on other cultures in a broad sense, but on the community as well. They have science. The summer camps include a “space camp” with in-house visitors from NASA. There is a library staffed by parent volunteers. 

To have Seamus attend five days a week would cost us about a thousand dollars a year more than our current preschool, but would not include summers or lunches. Mostly I just listened to C, the director, and enjoyed the classroom and the kids working quietly because they were focused, not shushed. Patrick and I like how Montessori brings with it the ability to channel one’s energy into an activity, we like that kids are grouped by ability before age, and the emphasis of teaching self-care and care for one’s environment. 

So it begins.