Program Overview
Maria Montessori wrote of four planes of development that humans experience on the path to adulthood. Each of these spanned a 6 year period, with the first plane of development beginning at birth through to age 6. This is the reason that Montessori schools like Winfield are typically structured around 3 year cycles.
Winfield’s classrooms are organized into two programs - the Toddler House and the Children’s House. The Toddler House is for children 16 months to 3 years old, while the Children’s House is our 3-6 year old program, with the Kindergarten serving as the 3rd year (or even the 4th, in some cases).
As an AMS Accredited School, we are committed to providing an authentic Montessori experience for you and your child. The classrooms at both levels are multi-age, in keeping with Montessori’s planes of development, with the children of each age providing an integral element to the classroom community.
The importance of this multi-age perspective comes from our deep dedication to Maria Montessori's teachings, and means that we are seeking to partner with families who are looking for a multi-year program that follows the natural rhythm and pace of child development through age six.
In order to protect the experience for the other families who have enrolled in search of that multi-age Montessori experience, Winfield expects that all children enrolling in the Toddler House will move on to the Children’s House, and we require all families to make at least a two-year commitment to the Children's House. Priority for placement, even in the Toddler House, is given to those families planning to stay for Kindergarten.
Toddler-only or single-year programs exist, and are right for many families, particularly if you are looking for a program to fill the gap before a public pre-K program. If you are certain that is what you need, Winfield is likely not the program for your family.
But if you are exploring or still deciding what makes sense for your child, or thought that you knew what trajectory your child would be on, but are curious about alternatives, read on, and get in touch if you would like to learn more. We love to talk Montessori and to share our school!
“The greatest development occurs from birth to three years; then from three to six years of age his development is more peaceful. The first period is like a preparation for the second, or conversely, the second period completes the first. ”
While the Toddler program feeds naturally into the Children’s House, starting in the Toddler House is not a requirement for enrollment in the Children’s House. For many of our families, enrollment in the Children’s House is their first engagement with Winfield.
While the requirement for the Children’s House is a minimum of two years, we encourage all of our enrolled children to remain through the third year. Our Kindergarten program is structured in such a way that it even allows for a fourth year for those children whose parents choose to give them the gift of time, allowing them an extra year before continuing with their elementary education.
We follow a typical school year schedule, from September to June, with our Summer Camp spanning six weeks in the summer. Winfield’s summer camp is only open to enrolled Winfield children and serves as an excellent opportunity for families who are looking for consistency in routines and expectations for their children year-round.