CURRICULUM

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Ages Served
We offer two levels of service for the following ages:
Toddler Class: 15 months to 36 months
  • Toddler 2 day: 9:00am to noon (Tuesday/Wednesday or Wednesday/Thursday) 
  • Toddler 3 day: 9:00am to noon (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday)

Primary Class: 3 years to 6+ years
  • Primary half day: 8:30am to 1:00pm (Monday through Friday)
  • Primary full day: 8:30am to 3:00pm (Monday through Friday) by teacher recommendation, ages 5+

Additionally, we offer a toddler After Lunch Bunch and a Stay and Play:

Months of Operation
COLCM operates on a traditional nine-month school year, beginning our year mid-August and ending in late May. Please see our academic calendar for specific dates.

About Our Curriculum
Montessori education is founded on the pioneering child development research, philosophy, and writings of Dr. Maria Montessori. It is an education which nurtures the child's intuitive desire to develop his or her abilities and resources to live in harmony with the world. The Montessori education relies on a developmentally appropriate classroom in a multi-age grouping. It also utilizes concrete materials to allow the child to explore and master concepts. The main goal is for the child to ultimately find the joy in learning and the fun that comes with being part of a community within the school as well as in the classroom.

Montessori education is a flow experience. It builds on the daily, weekly, and yearly continuing self-construction of the child through the duration of the program. All Montessori schools are divided into multi-age classrooms: Toddler (ages 18 mos. to 3), Primary (ages 3 to 6), Lower and Upper Elementary (ages 6 to 9 and 9 to 12), and Junior (ages 12 to 14). These prepared environments introduce an uninterrupted series of learning passages or a continuum.

Our classrooms are child-centered communities conducive to sensorial exploration and discovery. Individualized and independent work meets the needs of a variety of learners while concrete and manipulative materials lead to a sense of mastery and accomplishment. A team-teaching model yields a low teacher/student ratio that guarantees children receive the attention they need, but at the same time, teachers know the value of giving students time and space to work through problems on their own. Cooperative learning experiences, a tolerance and appreciation of differences, and a sense of responsibility for yourself and others are all part of the value of a multi-age classroom. Other advantages include making long term student/teacher relationships (and parent/teacher) and developing social competencies.

Aside from the high academic achievement, the benefits of a Montessori education include life skills such as time management, goal-setting, study skills, and the experience of organizing your own work and time. Learning how to assess your work begins with the self-correcting nature of concrete materials but ranges into portfolio development, test-taking skills, and standardized testing for older students.