The Montessori School of Schenectady is a non-denominational, nonprofit, educational corporation, founded in 1968 by parents who wanted the Montessori educational approach for their children. The school’s objective is to give each child the tools necessary to reach their highest potential. Enrollments are accepted without regard to race, religion, or national origin.

The Montessori Philosophy

Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman doctor in Italy, recognized that each child has strong inner directives to learn a particular skill at a particular time in their life. In every child’s life there are times, when they are sensitive to: order, language, math concepts, reading, color, development of the senses, etc. During these times, the child is motivated by inner directives which enable him/her to learn the skill effortlessly, rapidly and with greater depth than would be possible at any other time. It is the task of the Montessori teacher to observe each child’s particular interests at any given time and then to guide him/her toward developing the skill. She accomplishes this by providing a prepared environment and by presenting specially designed, self-correcting materials he or she is ready for at that moment: whether it be in the practical life, sensorial, language or math areas.