Credit: BaanDek on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/baandek/

If you’ve decided you want to enroll your baby or toddler in a Montessori daycare, it might be hard to figure out if it is authentic or not, and if it’s the right choice for your kid! My first advice is to ask for a tour of the school and whether you can do some observation. Observation is a cornerstone of Montessori pedagogy, and for me it’s a huge green flag when a daycare or school allows parents to observe their environment in action.

In Montessori, the environment for babies (up to around 16 or 18 months) is called a Nido. The next environment, designed for toddlers, is called Infant Community (or sometimes Toddler Community) and serves children up to 2,5 or 3 years old. The exact ages should depend on your local regulations, the children’s unique development and the school’s organization.

Here are some more guidelines you can keep in mind as you tour the space, ask questions, and observe the work of the children and adults (click toggles below):

✅  Good sign!

🚩 Red flag: try to learn more, ask why/ why not

General practices

Nido

Infant Community

🤔 Other questions you might want to ask:

• How do you adjust to meet the needs of a child who isn’t fitting in well?
• What is the adaptation period like?
• How do you respond when a child doesn’t want to eat something, doesn’t want to nap, or wants to nap earlier than scheduled?
• What is your communication with the parents like? Do you use an app, do you send out emails, do you talk to parents during drop-off?
• How do you respond to aggression (hitting, biting, pushing, etc.)?
• How do you respond to sadness and crying?

Lastly, if you get the chance to observe, look for the way adults respond to stressful or unpredictable situations. Do they remain calm, patient, and respectful with the child? Do they allow children time and opportunity to sort out their own problems or step in quickly to fix them? Also notice what questions they ask you about your child - a good Montessori professional should be interested in what developmental stages your baby or toddler is going through, what activities they enjoy and what is frustrating for them, and they should ask about different areas of their lives - how they eat, how they sleep, how they relate to others…

Notice how the educators interact with you and whether it feels like they would be good partners to have in your child’s education. The relationship between the school and the family is a very important one, and you should feel like they (especially your child’s guide) will always try to cooperate with you even in situation where you might not see eye to eye. Trust your judgement! If you are confident about the choice you’re making for your child, they will feel it too, and have an easier time adjusting to this new stage of their life ☺️

I hope this was helpful as you make your decision. If you’re still confused about whether a specific program might work for your family, book a call with me! I’ll help you go over the details and your unique situation to discover the best option: Parent guidance sessions