Montessori Academy’s Philosophy
At Montessori Academy, our guiding philosophy is to nurture the uniqueness of each child while respecting their individual, cultural, and family background. We do this through positive interactions with our students, their families, and our team. We show evidence of this through our Montessori education program, the structure of our educational teams, and through our prepared learning environments.
We believe that:
- All children carry within themselves the person they will become, and that our role as educators and parents is to positively influence this becoming.
- Each child has the right to be and feel safe, both physically, and emotionally.
- The potential for each child’s development should be nurtured and respected.
- Education is an aid to life and a preparation for it.
- A complete care and education program involves the integration of the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical and social aspects of life.
- There should be diversity of social groupings and all forms of diversity should be accepted and respected.
- Learning occurs in a variety of ways and should be suited to each child’s individual developmental needs and interests in order to help them achieve their full potential.
- Learning is largely active, often self-correcting, individually paced, and unlimited in scope.
- The teacher’s role is to guide, observe, and support each child.
- The Montessori environment “reaches” the child through curiosity, stability, and the freedom to choose.
- Learning should be linked to the home and the outside world.
- Balancing freedom and discipline results in a larger capacity for self-direction.
At Montessori Academy, we are a committed and professional team of educators who welcome all families and children to our services. We aim to make each child’s experience at our service fun and educational. Our teams are committed to developing strong relationships and bonds with the children and families in their care.
We provide a learning environment that supports each child’s being, belonging, and becoming, as an integral part of our wider community that is inclusive of all children and families.
We believe that every child has the capacity to succeed and that they are not limited by diversity in ability, learning styles, or circumstances. We are committed to equity and actively challenge biases.
We value diversity, honour and celebrate difference, and seek to develop knowledge and positive attitudes towards all walks of life. We actively educate our students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and respect and acknowledge them as the First Nations People of Australia.
By respecting diversity, we foster each child’s motivation to learn, and provide experiences that complement their learning styles in order to reinforce their sense of being as competent learners.
We value the importance of reflective practice and its ability to provide educators with ways to evaluate their practice, become more thoughtful about their work, and to motivate them to explore new ideas and approaches for the greater benefit of children’s education.
Reflective practice promotes ongoing learning. By gathering information, we gain insights to support, inform and enrich decision making about children’s learning. We continually seek ways to build professional knowledge and develop learning communities that share best practice.
Montessori Academy is committed to environmentally sustainable practices and teachings. The aim of educating children about sustainability is to promote a sense of responsibility, respect, wonder, participation and sense of connection with the land. Through education, Montessori Academy seeks to protect the natural environment, preserve resources, and secure the viability of our world for generations to come.
In conclusion, each Montessori Academy childcare centre seeks to establish a supportive learning environment that bridges the connection between each child’s home, the centre, and the wider community to provide a complete early childhood education and care program.
Montessori Academy is a child-safe organisation that is committed to delivering excellent academic and well-being outcomes for children.