Celebrating its 13th anniversary this school year, the Montessori Island School at mile marker 92.3 oceanside has openings available for children of ages 12 months to second grade. We are a private school for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as kindergarten, first, and second grades, with full Montessori-credentialed teachers leading each classroom. In addition, the VPK program, (Voluntary PreKindergarten), a state-subsidized program offering a free three hours a day, five days a week education for four-year-olds, is also available at Montessori Island School as part of our existing pre-school.

Our teacher to student ratio is one-to-12 in the preschool/VPK and kindergarten/elementary, compared with one-to-18 or higher elsewhere.

The toddler program, with children 12 to 33 months, carries a one-to-six ratio. Singing, dancing, listening to stories and hugging are all parts of a toddler’s day, which also includes independent exploration, active play, quiet time and small group lessons.

MIS follows the "best practices" of Montessori education, which includes multi-age classrooms and a lengthy, two-and-a-half hours of uninterrupted morning work time, with an additional afternoon work time for the kindergarten/elementary students as well. These work times emphasize the skills that children most need for success in elementary school and beyond.

The Montessori philosophy is based on a profound respect for the child. All learning experiences and practices are designed to foster the student's natural curiosity, self-esteem, individuality and independence.

The classrooms are furnished with learning materials designed by Maria Montessori, which emphasize learning by doing. Children develop a love of learning from these interesting and exciting materials.

The Montessori Island School building was custom-designed to be a model Montessori School, with generous classroom space and large windows set low for natural light and observation of the outdoors. An outdoor environment with several "playscapes" for children to explore completes the facility. The building has been featured in conferences on Montessori architecture as well as in architectural digests.

For a tour of the Montessori Island School, to enroll a child from 12 months to second grade, or for more information, please call 852-3438.