Please join us for our annual Holiday Open House Saturday, December 6th from 10 am to 1 pm.

Welcome

As a parent of a young child you naturally have many questions and concerns about your child's introduction to education. On this site, we hope to introduce you to the essential elements of the Montessori education program at the Vincent S. Mastro Montessori Academy.

Montessori education was developed by Maria Montessori early in the twentieth century. A physician working with young children, she observed sensitive periods of child development and designed a prepared environment to foster the development of the young child during the sensitive periods.

The Vincent S. Mastro Montessori Academy was founded in 1968 in accordance with the standards established by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the descendant organization from Maria Montessori and the recongnized authority on Montessori pedagogy and teacher training. The program consists of two primary classrooms for ages three to six and one elementary class for ages six to twelve.

Each class is directed by a professional Montessori directress who has earned an AMI Diploma in addition to an undergraduate degree. AMI training for both primary and elementary teaching consists of nine months of full-time postgraduate training at a certified teacher-training institute.

All instruction, including practical life exercises, sensorial materials, language and mathematics in the primary classes and cosmic education in the elementary class is conducted in accordance with the principles of AMI. In turn, each directress trains her assistant in the practices of a Montessori classroom.

In order to gain a greater appreciation of Montessori education, we inite you to visit the school and observe an active classroom. Observations can be scheduled through the office from October 1 to May 1. During your visit, our staff will offer you observation guidelines and answer any questions that you may have.

If you enroll your child, the staff will continue to educate you about the Montessori education throughout your child's stay. Parent involvement in also encouraged through open house, parent-teacher conferences and volunteer activities.

To learn more about Montessori education, please click on the Montessori links button and visit the websites of the Association Montessori Internationale and the North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA) and/or request copies of NAMTA's "What is Montessori Preschool" or "What is Montessori Elementary" from the office.