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Parents, caregivers and their children enjoy their time together in the weeklyMontessori Beginnings Program.
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Toddlers are learning how to interact with each other and how to be part of a community.
Nearly 40 years ago, Leslie Bowie opened the Montessori School of Gloucester with one preschool classroom.
To the dismay of parents, the school was set to close in 1989 when Bowie announced her retirement. Instead, it was reincorporated as Gloucester Montessori School, a nonprofit with a board of directors consisting of parents. Since then, a preschool extended-day program, before- and after-school care, an upper elementary classroom and, new this fall, a toddler program, have been added.
Patricia Landau was one of those original parents on the board. With a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, she became fascinated by the hands-on, developmentally based, individualized approach, eventually becoming lead teacher in the lower elementary class while working in the school’s administration. Currently, she serves as Programs Director and lead lower elementary teacher.
Last year, the school added Montessori Beginnings, a support group for parents and caregivers of children from birth through 24 months. “There was a definite need in our area for information, support and fellowship for caregivers with very young children,” Landau says. “We wanted the program to be free and accessible to everyone who cares for an infant or toddler, including grandparents, childcare providers and other extended family.”
Weekly, caregivers attend hourly sessions with the children. The group meets with a facilitator and certified Montessori teacher in a comfortable environment—the school’s recently completed Montessori Beginnings classroom—designed to meet the children’s changing needs.
Montessori Beginnings’ director, Suzanne Moughon, has seen caregivers gain more confidence in the relationships with their babies. “Through conversations, weekly discussion topics and sharing personal experiences, participants are finding the language and behavior to be kinder to and more respectful of their children,” she says, noting that caregivers learn to observe their children more carefully and adjust their responses so that they’re reacting to what the children need rather than their own, often unrealistic, expectations.
Parent Katelyn Stroup appreciates that the program gave her fresh insight into how her son learns and develops and helped her better deal with situations she didn't know how to handle before. “It’s helped my son come into his personality and greatly improved his vocabulary,” she says. “He plays well with other children now and knows how to share and interact with others thanks to Montessori Beginnings.”
Interested caregivers can register online at the school’s website, gloucestermontessori.com.