The Purpose of this program is to prepare the children, between the ages of 2-3 years, to experience and develop socialization and independence. This is the first time the child is away from home, so our first priority is to create an environment that they feel secure in. It is not mandatory for your child to be potty trained for the pre-school1 program. Also in this program, the child exercises their skills in putting things in order, coordination, and concentration. For instance, each child will practice motor skills such as pouring, spooning, and scooping. The program also includes songs and stories. Such a classroom environment will prepare them for the next stage involving more complicated tasks.

The pre-school 2 / pre-kindergarten program is designed for children between the ages of 3-4 years old. The classroom environment here offers a wide variety of activities. Children choose their work independently as a result of their curiosity and interests. Independence is an integral part of the program. Usually teachers will avoid doing tasks for the child, but rather show them how do it by themselves. The program involves the introduction to reading, writing, basic math, geography, and science skills. In keeping true to the Montessori philosophy, the students also participate in daily practical activities which which enhance their coordination and concentration in activities which will engage all their five senses. Twice a day, the children gather around in a circle and learn about a subject in language, science, or geography which is presented to them by their teacher. Other learning activities include reading stories, singing songs, art, and playing a variety of musical instruments.

The main advantage that students have at Mills Montessori is progressing at a rate that they feel academically and emotionally ready for. Due to the varied development stages within the class, different levels of work in any given subject are possible.

Mills Montessori School provides a most unique and exceptional educational environment at the elementary level. This program creates a free learning environment which supports each student in concentrating on his or her own work at the comfort of their own individual pace. Thus each child strives to excel by their own standards and not by the standards of other classmates. This type of environment seeks to alleviate the destructive atmosphere of group competition and overall nurtures the child’s self-esteem. Having older and younger children combined in an instructional setting further encourages the children to work together and respect one another. As a result, group cliques and social hierarchies are not as prevalent in such a Montessori setting as they would be in a more conventional school. Our curriculum is individualized and based on each child’s learning ability and knowledge base, not age. Due to a low teacher to student ratio, each child gets personal attention and instruction. Often times, our students in the elementary program are doing work well above their grade level, placing their academics one maybe two years ahead of themselves. Our students place in the top 95 percentile in all subjects on the national standardize exam, which is taken during the spring semester. Once a student completes our elementary program they have not only excelled academically, but are ready to be placed in larger social environments within middle school.