CURRICULUM
At Stuyvesant Heights Montessori our approach to early childhood education is aligned with the educational philosophies of Dr. Maria Montessori, New York State Early Learning Guidelines, as well as various progressive approaches. We use this approach because we believe that children learn in a variety of ways that are as rich and diverse as they are. As a school, we have worked to create a flexible learning environment where all of the children’s needs are met. Our approach supports each child’s sense of motivation and curiosity; this, in turn supports their autonomy and self-sufficiency. And also their creativity through independent and collaborative exploration. Our goal is to help each child achieve cognitive, emotional, and social growth.
Our language program fosters lifelong multilingual Spanish speakers through a nurturing environment. It is a known fact that the formative years of a child are vital for development. Our vision is to take advantage of these highly formative years while children are still moldable and absorbent and assimilate them in an environment of learning to create individuals who can reach high potentials while being multilingual. Our vision is to take children to their full potential in life.
We focus on a child’s natural ability to acquire a second or third language. This is done through conversation, interactive classes, songs, dance, movement, creative play, hands-on activities, puppet shows, storytelling, games, and activities. All instruction is imparted in ways children can understand and grasp intuitively. Our native Spanish teachers help each student acquire the different intonation and sounds to be able to speak fluently in an easy and natural way.
As the first school experience for children, we work to ensure that every child’s individual needs are supported. We have partnerships with several highly qualified educational support programs. These programs include speech and language specialist, occupational therapist, behavioral therapist, social playgroups, as well as a licensed clinical social worker. We support families in navigating the referral process for Early Intervention as well as the Committees on Preschool Special Education. Early childhood education is consistently evolving. With this in mind Stuyvesant Heights Montessori implements evidence-based practices in our classrooms. We are consistently evolving in our techniques and teaching strategies. Teachers at SHM are supported by our director to ensure that the needs of the children they teach are met. This is done through staff meetings, professional development training, outside school observations, and research article. At SHM we believe that a school should be a learning environment for children, families, and educators.
Each classroom is enriched daily with music and movement. The teachers provide opportunities for the children to learn about every aspect of music. They explore instruments, genres, musicians old and new. Movement is incorporated in each months curriculum. It is explored through games, storytelling, and free play.