# Montessori vs play school vs nanna



## Squonk (10 Apr 2006)

My daughter is 3 years of age and being taken care of by her nanna. All is well. We are considering putting her into a montessori to prepare her for school. So my question...is there any point? My daughter is well adjusted, if a little shy, and learning from her nanna. Are Montessori schools worth it, or are they just a way to extract money based on a parent's fear that their child may be 'left behind'? Is there any real benefit over play school where I presume she will also learn socialising skills?


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## Laurie (10 Apr 2006)

My little girl was also cared for by her grandmother and at the age of three she then went to a Montessori in the afternoon. The main reasons we sent her to a Montessori was that we didn't want to over-burden her grandmother - after all she has raised her own children and she does deserve some free time at this stage of her life. We are really delighted with the Montessori and as we insisted on paying her grandmother the going hourly rate for exclusive child care, we didn't feel the Montessori were extracting money from us as the Montesorri worked out cheaper.


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## michaelm (10 Apr 2006)

I think you'll find that she will learn social skills in Junior Infants.  I think that Montessori (in Ireland) is just a fancy name for Playschool and that it will make little difference to most kids whether the attend either prior to school.  If it were me, I'd stick with the Nanna (if she's happy with the arrangement) and maybe attend a local playgroup each week if you're after social interaction.


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## Lorz (10 Apr 2006)

Can I presume the Grandmother is only looking after 1 child and that your child is an only child?  While nothing can beat the 1:1 attention that a relative will give a child, none the less the child is missing out on interaction with other children.  They need to learn to share, to learn that sometimes people don't always do the right thing and aren't always nice and that we must follow rules!  Doesn't just apply to adults!  Personally, I would consider sending your child to Montessori now to learn these skills which will make the transition from Montessori to school a little easier.


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## Squonk (10 Apr 2006)

Thanks for all the feedback. Nanna is actually looking after my son as well, aged 2. My daughter interacts no problem with friends and family but is shy around strangers, and she actually appears to be getting more shy as she's getting older. So I tend to believe that she does need to learn to interact with other children. Having said that, is there much of a difference between a Playschool and Montessori in that issue?


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## Bamhan (10 Apr 2006)

My two attend a crche and montessori and have done since they were 6 months old, one is due to start school in September and the other is two, if I had the chance of having them minded by a reliable nana who was fit and able for the job and willing to do it I would jump at the chance.
In my opinion it is time enought for them to socialise when they get to school, they will be in a system long enough, why start it earlier than you have to.
My two are far from shy, a bit too far from shy for my liking sometimes.
I think one to one attention is of a HUGE benifit to small children and I would not think a child gains anything from being in  the controlled enviroment of a montessori before they start school.


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## michaelm (10 Apr 2006)

Bamhan said:
			
		

> I think one to one attention is of a HUGE benifit to small children and I would not think a child gains anything from being in the controlled enviroment of a montessori before they start school.


I would agree with this.  Ideally such one to one attention would be provided by the mother (or possibly father) where possible, but that's a whole other discussion.


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## legend99 (10 Apr 2006)

my experience of collecting our small one from Montessori was that it looked like organised chaos!!! Most fun of all is when the biting starts!


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## Bamhan (10 Apr 2006)

Montessor is just a fancy name for a creche in my opinion.


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## Diziet (10 Apr 2006)

I have a very sociable 4 year old daughter, minded by a very good local childminder with her own older kids. She started Montessori last year, loves it and gets a lot out of it. Is is a good nursery though - very professional, well organised and they have a very full day. She is learning heaps, and no, I did not send her there in order to have her ready for school, it was because I thought she would like it. Her social skills (although already good) have improved too. She is now much more ready to put her toys away, helps lay the table, etc. Check out the Montessori/playgroup beforehand; some are better than others.


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## Squonk (10 Apr 2006)

Thanks for all the responses. It seems that there is clearly divided opinion out there on this topic. I think I'll investigate a compromise of putting my daughter into the Montessori for 3 days a week (if possible). I'll also take a look at playschools because I still haven't bought into this whole Montessori thing.


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## Eurofan (10 Apr 2006)

Bamhan said:
			
		

> Montessor is just a fancy name for a creche in my opinion.



I'd suggest you do a little research. Montessori is a highly respected method of early education. However like many things in Ireland it is not a protected name so anyone can call it 'Montessori' which may account for your experiences.

A well trained teacher using the montessori methods is a valuable introduction to many things for a young child. Naturally the onus is on the parents to check credentials etc.


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## Judybaby73 (10 Apr 2006)

As a researcher in the field of early years education and care (I did a PhD on this!!) I believe that the quality of any early years education setting largely depends on the quality of the practitioner (Teacher). The quality of the Teacher is in turn dependent on his/her training

Montessori schools, their curriculum and all that they offer are only as good as the Teacher running them. Try to find a school that has a qualified practitioner from either St. Nicholas Montessori College or AMI college. These are recognised colleges with quality courses.  Some people think they are "qualified Montessori Teachers" after 10 weeks training. This is not the case. it takes 3 years to become a fully qualified Mont.teacher!

In addition to this I firmly believe that the Montessori philosophy,ethos, and curriculim can not be beaten. It is designed to meet children's development at whatever stage they are at. It meets their individual needs and promotes their all-round development in a child-centred way.
Some people ask whats the difference between regular pre-schools.?...well lots really....and if anyone wants to know ...PM me


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## beldin (11 Apr 2006)

We had our boy going to a play school. Definitely we felt it was the better way to go. They really did play and the amount of learning was practically nil. They did colouring etc but no actual learning. We were lucky in that the numbers were quite low and they could do field trips to feed ducks etc.
They will spent 8 years in primary , 6 in secondary and a couple of years in college. Do they really need a extra year of learning.


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## Squonk (11 Apr 2006)

After Montessori, it is possible that children will be bored their first year in school because they've learnt a lot of the same stuff?


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## Bamhan (11 Apr 2006)

Squonk said:
			
		

> After Montessori, it is possible that children will be bored their first year in school because they've learnt a lot of the same stuff?


 
I think that really depends on the child.

My brother was a particularly advanced child, and he was at home full time with my mother, could read etc and was bored senseless in school and acted up no end.

My two year old already knows her ABC and can count to 20 and knows colours etc.

My four year old can write her own name and a few other words, count and add up etc but I don't feel she has gained much by being able to do this ahead of her peers who will learn the same thing in school.

I think free play is very important and in reply to another poster who questioned my opinions on montessori I agree as what is often called montessori here is nothing more than a creche by a fancy name.

Having said that I do not think that a small chaild needs to learn too much before tha ge of 5.

I think being allowed free reign to play and use their imagination is far more important.
I also feel that having plenty of attention and having their confidence built up is way more important than being able to recite their ABC.

Once they start school they will be expected to sit at a desk for the next 13 years learning stuff surely that is enough time to spend in a structured environment.

I think the love and attention of a nana, providing she is the type of nana who is interested and happy with her duty of care is by far the better option than a stuctured environment.


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## huskerdu (12 Apr 2006)

To answer the original query, I have known quite a few parents with 3 year olds at home with a granny or a parent. Those who sent their child to a play school, or a montesorri a few mornings a week were very happy that their chid benefitted from and hugely enjoyed having time with other kids of their own age.


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## Judybaby73 (17 Apr 2006)

My two year old already knows her ABC and can count to 20 and knows colours etc.

While some 2 year old's appear to be quite advanced and can count to 20 etc....this is usually rote learning (leaning off by heart) and they really have no concept of what number is. Maybe your child is different but working in the area that I work in this is usually the case.

A good way of finding out if s/he has a concept of number is to ask the child to get you 6 buttons/stones..or 15 or whatever number you want to check. 

The Montessori Curriculum (and I am not a practitioner in the field of Montessori but have researched different early years settings for children) is designed to give the child active "hands on " learning through the manipulation of materials and equipment.
Children develop holistically that is ..cognitively, linguistically, socially,physically,emotionally, morally,spiritually and creatively. 
90% of brain development occurs by 3 years and children are go through lots of "sensitive" periods for learning during theire preschool years. 

Research indicates that children from 2.5-6 years learn best in environments that are especially prepared to meet their needs. The Montessori Directress (teacher) who is trained properly strives to do this. 

In addition to all this research indicates that there are long lasting positive effect/outcomes for children who attend quality early education settings.

One study—perhaps the most well-known of all High/Scope research efforts—examines the lives of 123 African Americans born in poverty and at high risk of failing in school. From 1962–1967, at ages 3 and 4, the subjects were randomly divided into a program group who received a high-quality preschool programme based on High/Scope's participatory learning approach and a comparison group who received no preschool program. In the study's most recent phase, 97% of the study participants still living were interviewed at age 40. Additional data were gathered from the subjects' school, social services, and arrest records. The study found that adults at age 40 who had the preschool programme had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to have graduated from high school than adults who did not have preschool.

Now while I know this study is based on children from disadvantaged homes the children who do attend quality perschools are more likely to stay in education, less likely to present with depression and engage in criminal activity! Moreover the children love it and as the wise Joan Cass in her book "the signigicance of children's play" states...

"The day's that make us happy make us wise"

Sorry for going on and on here but I really want to stress the importance of preschool education to children and their development...and indeed the benefits to society in general! 

We need free perschools! NOW!


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## Jamjam (18 Apr 2006)

Judybaby you are so right about the Montessori Method. It is fantastic and from my experience the Teachers/ directress really does "work" with the children in a very respectful way. The children are at the centre of their learning. Busy little people who are "absorbed" in the play (Montessori called it work) by sheer accident! It's not forced on them.

 I have seen terrible preschools where the "teachers" are  not trained properly and sit, drink tea and gossip all day with co-workers. Thats not to say all are like that however. 
Montessori in my view can not be beaten but again I would also stress the importance of the teacher being qualified by either St Nicks in dunlaoire or AMI. These are proper courses. 
Some courses (run in private colleges usually) are only introductory courses but some people assume they are "qualified" teachers after them. I always say that if you do a ten week course in psychology you are not a psychologist. The same goes for Montessori teaching. It takes 3 years to have a BA in Humanites which is the Montessori qualification from St. Nicks.
Judybaby I wam very interesed in your research. What did you do it on?I am doing a masters at the moment in early childhood studies.

I hope I didn't go off the point here people..sorry if I did!

Thanks 

Jenny


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