Montessori nursery for non verbal 2 year old

[Hillsnearby]

I have the opportunity to put my son into a highly recommended montessori nursery. It is just for 2-4 year olds and he has just turned 2.

I have a good feeling about the nursery and the workers all seem very warm and engaging too.

However I am worried about my son as he will be among the youngest (his room is for 2-3 year olds, although they all share the garden at various times of the day).

He also does not speak at all (which is why I'm keen to send him to help his speech). I worry about how he will handle the environment without being able to communicate with the adults and other children. I know they are encouraged to be quite independent but he is not at all good at being independent at the moment (probably my and dh's fault )
Does anyone have experience with how a child like this could cope in a montessori environment? And how I could tell if he is settling in well or not (as he can't tell me about it)?

(I'm a sahm and I will be sending him one day at first and hopefully increasing to 2 days. Will be a short day at first as well until he settles.)

At my Montessori they don't accept children 'solo' until the nursery deems them to be 'ready'. They do a two hour observation of them in the nursery setting before offering a place. Does your nursery do this? If so, just take their word for it!

Most people say go for more that one session a week to help them settle. My nursery also insist on 3 sessions a week- and I don't think this is them squeezing money out, it is genuinely what they think is best.

Could your DS go for 3 or 4 mornings instead of 2 days?

I did parent and toddler at the nursery from my DS being 18months old and the teacher was wonderful with him and there were lots of Montessori activities that were very appropriate, so I would say the approach is fine fro pre-verbal children!

He has been offered a place already, they say they are happy to have me stay for some time initially as he settles in.

Yes they recommend more than one day a week which is why we will build up to 2. I will think about 3 days instead. I will have to work to pay for the nursery which is why it can't just be mornings as will be too hard to find work just for mornings, but I will fortunately be able to do fairly short days (8.00-3.30).

I was a bit worried about the speech part as they said they teach the children to be assertive and tell other children that they are busy working and to please go away for example.

I found that it was more the other way round, they taught my son that if somebody else was using a piece of equipment he had to wait for a turn with that and go and choose something else to do in the meantime.

They do teach them to share and about social give and take as well IME.

I would say, if they have met yor DS, really are good (and unscrupulous) and they have offered you a place then they think they can meet his needs. So as long as you trust them, don't worry!