Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was a woman ahead of her time and an influential individual on early childhood education and development. Her philosophy started in the slums of Rome in 1907 and is now used world-wide by many early childhood education programs.

The Montessori method is a child-focused approach to development of the young child. In Montessori classrooms, you will see children working independently or in small groups on self-lead materials that provide tangible, hands-on learning. This method of education provides rigorous, self-motivated growth for children and adolescents in all areas of their development - cognitive, emotional, social, and physical.

"The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child's own natural desire to learn."

~ Maria Montessori

The Montessori method is a foundation of education and social emotional skills that benefit the young child for their future growth. At A Little Journey Montessori School, we provide a consistent routine for the children in a prepared environment in which they know what to expect each day. The learning materials are designed to be age appropriate and a sequential order of learning that is designed to help the child grow and develop over at least 2 years of sequential learning.

At A Little Journey Montessori School, we are state licensed and are held to the standards and regulations put forth by the state for early childhood programs. We follow state requirements for student to teacher ratios and group sizes. We have annual inspections

from the health department, fire marshall, and state licensor. All children in our care are required to meet the minimum requirements for immunizations, as are the teachers.

Prior to starting work at our program, all teachers must go through a background check with the state and DOJ before being eligible to work. After passing a background check, teachers are required to take required training courses put forth by the state within their first 90 days of hire and become CPR certified within the first 30 days of hire. Teachers are required to meet annual continuing education requirements each year to stay informed on the care and education of young children.

At A Little Journey Montessori School we strive to have qualified teachers with accredited degrees in early childhood or related fields. We encourage teachers to further their education with certified Montessori training courses and aim to have lead teachers with Montessori training in each classroom.