Montessori Preschool

Welcome to Josie’s Montessori

“The goal of Early Childhood Education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.”

– Maria Montessori

Monday to Friday
8:30am to 3:00pm
Children ages 3 to 6 years old
extended care is available for an extra monthly rate.

Josie’s Montessori follows the Stanwood/Camano School District calendar in regards to school closures, holidays and breaks.

The early learning years are the most significant period of growth and development in a child’s lifetime. At Josie’s Montessori, we provide a learning environment that guides, nurtures, and enriches every student. Our program is designed to meet the needs of the individual child and allows each child to proceed at his/her own pace. The classroom environment is prepared to provide many opportunities for children to practice and master activities that develop independence and self-esteem.

We feel that the immediate goal of early childhood education should be to instill in young children a love of learning and a desire to seek knowledge and understanding. We believe that a Montessori environment encourages a sense of self-confidence and self-discipline along with a sense of responsibility. These qualities enable children to develop their ability to concentrate, make choices, be independent and successfully participate in a community.

The Montessori method supports children in choosing meaningful and challenging work that captures their interest. Giving students the opportunity to follow their own curiosity leads to engagement, intrinsic motivation, sustained attention, and a sense of responsibility to oneself and others. In a Montessori classroom, children are free to move around and explore, with periods of time during the daily schedule where students have time to select and work through various tasks and responsibilities at their own pace, without interruption.

Curriculum

All children are different and require different supports to be successful. The Montessori method of teaching is designed to be an age-inclusive program where both younger and older peers learn in the same environment. With the Montessori curriculum, children are able to work at their own pace and can spend as much, or as little, time as needed to master and become confident in their newly learned skill. All children will get to experience lessons in the following subjects:

Practical Life – Exercises and activities are designed to teach basic skills in care of self and care of the environment, such as dressing oneself, tying your own shoes, washing their hands, and cleaning up their space before moving onto another. These, and other skills, help develop the child’s fine motor skills and control of movements used in everyday life.
Sensorial Exercises – Offers children a chance to increase their awareness and discriminate between different sounds, sights, colors, shapes, tastes, smells, and textures of their world.
Mathematics – As children interact with the materials and manipulatives, they will first learn the meaning of size and quantity, eventually moving on to learn simple addition and subtraction.
Language – Activities will include language awareness, vocabulary development, and an introduction to reading and writing.
Cultural Studies – Children gain awareness of the world around them by exploring other countries, their customs, foods, music, climate, language, and animals. This helps raise consciousness about other people, to gain an understanding and tolerance, and in turn, compassion for all the people in the world. While studying other cultures, children will also learn about the geography of the country and it’s history.
Art – Throughout the day, children will be given access to various types of art mediums, and will begin to explore their own self-expression while learning to appreciate different types of art.
Science – In science the children’s natural curiosity is stimulated through discovery projects and experiments. Children will study topics in the areas of botany, zoology, geology, chemistry and astronomy, which will help foster a love and appreciation for all living things.
Enrichment – Each day during circle time and daily activities, children will be introduced to Spanish words like numbers and colors, as well as vocabulary that coincides with topics they are studying.

What our families are saying…

“All of our children attended Josie’s and developed incredible friendships and life skills. Through participation in the Montessori program, both of my girls learned to read prior to entering kindergarten and were well prepared for success in elementary school. We highly recommend Josie’s for other families seeking high quality childcare.”
– Mandy B, former Montessori and childcare parent

“Our daughter attended the Montessori preschool at Josie’s and we were not very familiar with the Montessori style going into it. Now we can’t see ourselves in any other environment! Our daughter really thrives in a Montessori setting and it has taught us a lot too.”
– Caitlin M, former Montessori parent

“My daughters both went through the Josie’s Montessori program, and we couldn’t be more proud of the experience they gained. The loving educators helped develop confidence, independence and empathy in my children who are now 5 & 8. I will never forget the video they sent while my daughter was unexpectedly hospitalized. The children made signs and shared words of encouragement during a very difficult time in our lives. We are forever grateful to the staff at Josie’s for providing a quality Montessori program so close to home.”
– Carrie B, former Montessori parent

We are now enrolling for the 2024/25 school year! If you’re interested in our program, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!