montessori nurseries

[babber]

Hi there - am hoping for DS to go to nursery when he is 2 (next year). There is a montessori one very close to my house but I admit to knowing very little about the montessori method (apart from what i just read on wikipedia!)
can someone enlighten me as to the possible advantages and disadvantages of this type of nursery... for some reason i have always had it in my head that it is some kind of cult but i am sure that its not that sinister!
for purely practical reasons it would be good to have nursery just round the corner...although haen't yet looked into whether its more expensive thatn 'regular' nursery.

thanks in advance

I think ours is one of those-I say ours we've not put our name down yet! But they sent us a booklet and it sounds fab, lots of creative messy play, outside if the weathers good. Had loads about the montessori methods in there as well as prices etc... Can you request some information from the nursery? x

Both mine are in a Montessori nursery. I know a bit about it. It's not a cult just a philosophy on child development (maybe you are confusing it with 'Steiner' which often gets accused of being a cult). The central belief is about the child leading the development. So if they are very interested in drawing, they can choose to do that. Our nursery puts out 4 or 5 different activities at once and they choose to do what they want, when they want and are never 'forced' or told to do anything they don't want to do. Our nursery is fantastic and has a huge garden out the back, which is a great asset.

Not a cult at all! It's an approach to teaching that is based on a child's perception of concepts rather than on adults' ideas of how children should learn.

It's very effective IME. My DC all went/go to a Montessori nursery + primary school. The children generally come out with a really impressive attitude to learning and solid grounding in the basics. But like any teaching system it suits some children more than others.

Lots of so-called Montessori nurseries in the UK aren't official Montessori though, ie not registered as such with the right organisation, so might be less well equipped and the staff less well trained in Montessori methods.

A good nursery is a good nursery. All the labels in the world are meaningless if the nursery isn't decently equipped, have good staff, and have a child centred approach.

I would avoid Montessori. I would want the best care for a child, not the best care so long as it fits in the the Montessori method.

As Castille says - there are Montesorri nurseies and there are so called, (half baked) Montessoris which only follow the bits of the philosophy that suits them.
Personally I think a lot of people prefer the not-full-on type as proper one do have very strict guidelines about what can and can't be done.
DS2 went to one becuse it had the best reputation around and fitted in with DS1's school.
It was excellent but did not really suit him as he was an academic child and ready for a more formal approach. (Would probably have suited DS3 down to the ground, but we had moved by the time he was the right age).

As an owner/manager of two Montessori nurseries and a mum of three, I am Montessori qualified and also hold a further early years qualification.

There is some excellent early years provision out there, and if it feels right for you and your child, then I would follow this instinct as well as word of mouth recommendation.

The Montessori approach is wonderful if it truly 'follows the child'. Most of the principles are totally in line with current early years education frameworks. Any early years setting which places a particular philosophy as more important than the individual is wrong and unethical, and totally not in line with any Montessori principles, although they can sometimes be 'lost in translation' by Montessorians with outdated views.

However, there are also some early years workers with outdated views and a lack of understanding about current best practice. They can also place their own personal belief about child rearing practice which can be inconsistent with the family and other co-workers.