Montessori vs. Christian Pre-school?

Question

Do you think it is acceptable to put your kids in a Montessori school, and a christian pre-school environment at the same time? Or is that too much exposure for a young child?

If anyone has any positives and negatives for each to point out that would be great as well.

Answer 1

I guess that depends on your religious beliefs. If you are a christian, perhaps you may want to look a little more into Montessori education, as it is becoming more based on new-age beliefs that you may not agree with. If you are not a christian, will you agree with the beliefts of the christian pre-school? As both schools have somewhat opposing beliefs, it may be a little contradictory.

Answer 2

There are many Christian Montessori schools out there, but if there are none close to you, I suggest choosing Montessori for M-F and becoming involved in your home church's pre-school Sunday School program.  God bless!

Answer 3

well i am a trained montessori teacher for ages 3 to 6 years old.  i dont think that you can ever expose a child to too much.  but it may cause some confusion if the programs are not structured the same or at least similar.  you dont want your child being in a structured environment then whisking them off to a free play setting.  positive....you are exposing your child to culture, music, sensorial, botany, zoology and practical life skills in montessori while giving him/her their christian teachings.  i suggest trying it out.  you wont know until you try.

hope this helps.

Answer 4

As a Montessori directress who has also taught at a Christian school, I would suggest the Montessori school -- & then put your child in Sunday School for her/his Christian education.  A Christian Montessori school would be AWESOME but it doesn't seem as though that is what you are talking about. There are positives & negatives to both types of schools, of course, usually related to the individual school. Basically, you need to be comforatble with the environment that you choose for your child, so pls look at several of each kind (if possible) and observe a typical class day.  And blessings to you & your little one!

Answer 5

I don't see the problem.  I assume you are talking about a Christian pre-school that uses Montessori methods.  This isn't a problem.  A developmentally appropriate preschool isn't about drilling a lot of information into you little one's head.

If you are talking about putting your child into two different programs at the same time,  I wouldn't do this unless it's absolutely necessary as part of your childcare arrangements (if you are a working dad). It just seems like an awfully long day to me.  My choice between the two would be the Montessori school.

If you have good values and model them for your child, you don't need preschool to reinforce it.  While I've seen a few preschool programs that I didn't much like,  I've never seen one that made a point of modeling poor social skills for kids.

Answer 6

How many days a week and how many hours each day will your child be in school? Montessori is a fantastic method for early education. I put both of my daughters through Montessori preschool and Kindergarten before moving them to public school. The Montessori approach offers children the freedom to learn at their own pace and grow their self confidence.

My next question is do you have a church home that you attend regularly that the child could attend Sunday school or bible school? What is your purpose in sending him to a Christian pre-school? My home church runs a preschool,  but doesn't teach any bible lessons during the school day. I felt they would receive a better educational headstart by attending Montessori five days a week- half days. My daughters are now in first and second grade and both are doing beautifully in school, are avid readers and participate in Gifted and Talented mathematics programs. They also attend Sunday school every Sunday and we do some home study of the bible to learn the lessons from the good book.

Good luck with your decision.