Anyone have any experience with the Montessori during the pre-school years? They have a really nice one near our house that we are considering enrolling Caleb in. We went and visited and spoke with the teachers for quite some time. I love the concept, and I love the fact that it's a bright, cheery place with tons of windows and natural light in addition to a very large outdoor play area. Anyone have any experiences positive or negative? He would be going 3, 4, or 5 days per week 8am-2:30pm.
No experience - but I do have Liriel signed up for an AMS certified school for 5 days a week (2.5 hrs a day) starting in September. There is a Montessori charter school through 8th grade about 1/2 mile from my home. Next year, when she is 4, she will be able to go to it for free.
I'm sending her to a private pre-school for 2.5 yo - 5 yo.
Have you checked out Mothering.com? They have a forum for School Years and one specifically for Montessori. LOTS of people on there have done Montessori pre-school.
From what I've read though - it's better to send him 5 days a week if possible. Consistency is very beneficial. And if you can keep him in it at least through Kindergarten (the first cycle) that is even better.
We don't have experience with traditional Montessori, however, Brenna did attend a religion based Montessori for preschool and it was a terrific experience for her. She really learned a lot using the Montessori model and if we could have continued her in that type of educational environment - we surely would have. In our area, however, it's pretty much cost prohibitive to us.