Background
Montessori International Preschool was initiated to meet the growing demand for preschools in English in the capital region. There is a constantly rising number of preschool age children living in greater Copenhagen and the waiting lists at local and international preschools are constantly getting longer and longer. Montessori International Preschool is entering the market at an ideal time, when the local municipalities are looking for and encouraging private owners to start-up new childcare options in the city.
Objectives / Mission
- To enable all the children attending Montessori International Preschool to achieve their fullest potential by providing them with a warm, safe, nurturing and stimulating environment, and by being sensitive and responsive to their individual needs.
- To allow children to work at their own pace and at their own level.
- To use the Montessori materials and methods in order to tailor a specific learning timetable to suit each child’s needs and capabilities
- To offer the pedagogical principles and practice formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori for the full development of preschool children’s qualities and skills that will help them become happy, confident and responsible individuals with an intrinsic motivation for life-long learning.
- To provide a pleasant work place for all staff
Development must come from the inside
We promote the holistic development of each child individually by placing emphasis on:
- Establishing self-confidence and self-esteem
- Self-determination within respective age limits
- Learning to form own opinion
- Building of self-assurance and assertiveness
- Encouragement of social development
- Learning responsibility in small steps
- Learning conflict resolution
- Respect for the developmental rhythm of each individual
Habits and skills developed in a Montessori classroom remain for lifetime.
The Montessori classroom is a land of opportunity for the child and he considers it a truly joyful place to be.
The Montessori philosophy is based on a profound respect for each child as a unique human being. Our approach assumes that children are born intelligent, curious, creative and are ripe to develop a sense of wonder and imagination. The goal is not to control, but to inspire our children to learn voluntarily. In its essence, Montessori is designed to teach children to think deeply, to think for themselves and to think about others. We believe that learning how to think for oneself (in effect, learning how to learn) will get a child through both school and life.
Principles
- Every child is a unique person with creative potential, the drive to learn and the right to be treated with respect as an individual.
- As children are profoundly affected by society and their immediate surroundings, we create an environment in harmony with the child’s natural development.
- Children must be given freedom to work and move around, within guidelines that enable them to see themselves as both independent and part of a group.
- Montessori materials help children to explore and master their environment through activities which aid the development of the whole personality.
- Children are encouraged to work at their own pace, either individually or in co-operation with others.
- Mixed age groups provide opportunities for the children to develop their social abilities within the harmonious community that is Montessori International Preschool.
- Children are carefully observed on a regular basis, both individually and as a group, to assist their full development.
An Ethical Institution
We believe the world is what we make it – so we try to contribute positively.
We seek to constantly improve conditions for our children, our staff, the environment and the world at large. We believe in building for the future. We want our children to grow up in a world that is secure, happy and that can give them endless opportunities.
We recycle as much as we can at school. We teach the children about what we recycle and why.
We try to use the most efficient and environmentally-friendly systems for all electrical and water needs and we support green providers.
We use organic ingredients for the food we serve the children and staff.
We believe in investing in our staff through continual professional training.