Santa Cruz Montessori
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Young Children’s Community
18 months - 3 Years of Age/Toddler-age Preschoolers
“The work of the child consists of creating the human being that it has to become. The adult works to improve his environment, while the child works to improve himself.”
-Maria Montessori
Our Young Children’s Community classrooms (named "Fireside" and "Mulberry") have been created especially for our youngest children. Our facilities include sunlit rooms with radiant heated floors, large porch areas for indoor/outdoor activity, and spacious gardens and playground.
Our teachers are trained Montessori "Assistants to Infancy" (birth-3 years) teachers who recognize children’s special developmental needs and have created environments to foster the incredible intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth occurring during this developmental phase in the child’s life. The environments offer the beauty, order and predictability necessary for the young child to feel comfortable to spontaneously explore.
The Fireside and Mulberry rooms become second homes to our toddlers with activities that address their quest for independence within a safe and secure environment. We invite their participation in activities ranging from cooking projects to stories and songs to the development of self-help skills.
As the children explore their surroundings in the Young Children's Community, they absorb every aspect of the environment, language, and culture. The Fireside and Mulberry teachers give the children their first experience of a children’s community where each member is respected and loved, and where the child’s natural curiosity leads to real learning. The ratio of students to teachers in our Young Children's Community classes is 4:1.
Our facility for young children was built to help meet the child care needs of preschool-age children in Santa Cruz, Aptos, Soquel, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Felton, Live Oak, Ben Lomond, La Selva Beach, Larkin Valley, and Watsonville. We offer quality child care for the Monterey Bay Area and the Central Coast.
