Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are your teachers Montessori certified?
A: Yes, our lead teachers are Montessori certified and experienced. They are also expected to have at least 15 hours of continued education per year in addition to their Montessori Certification. Our assistant teachers are expected to have worked a minimum of one year in a Montessori school.
Q: Are you affiliated with Live Oak church?
A: No, we are not affiliated with any religious organization. We simply rent the church's classrooms to use on weekdays.
Q: Why can't my child attend your school for just a few days a week? Isn't five days a week too much for a toddler?
A: A five-day Montessori program is really in your child's best interest. Being a school that has grown from offering 2, 3, and 5 day-per-week programs, the difference in the children that we have seen who attend five days is remarkable. The children who only attend 2 days a week were starting over each time that they came. They had little flow to their day, and never really felt like a part of the community. For those children it became more like a daycare or babysitting than a school. We also found that the children that complained about coming to school in the mornings were almost always the children who attended part-time. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the younger the child is, the more her needs five days per week, in order to feel secure in his second home. If you are uncomfortable with sending your child full-time, we would suggest the half-day program, which lasts until 12:30.
Q: Does my child need to bring a lunch? Do you provide snacks?
A: Parents either provide a lunch for their own child, or order lunches from Lunch Direct, our hot lunch delivery service. We also have microwaves and refrigerators if needed. We provide a healthy morning and afternoon snack for all full-time students. Snacks usually consist of fruit in the mornings and vegetables in the afternoon.
Q: Does my child need to be potty trained before starting your school? A: We promote independence in our classrooms, and we feel that potty training is a good sign that the child is self-sufficient enough to start our Primary (3-6 year old) program. Children enrolling in our Pre-Primary program (18 months and up) are not expected to be potty trained.
Q: What is your discipline policy?
A: At One World Montessori School, discipline consists of positive reinforcement and redirection. We never allow physical punishment under any circumstances. There are rarely causes for discipline in a Montessori classroom. However, if discipline is necessary, at One World we have two approaches:- First, most problems occur because the child has not found work which is sufficiently interesting to hold their attention. In this case, the child would be redirected to a new activity. Occasionally, new activities are designed to specifically meet a particular child’s needs.
- Second, a child may be asked to remove himself from the group to a space, within the classroom, designated as the “quiet spot” to take a few minutes to “quiet his body.” We show the children how to calm themselves down and regain control during circle time at the beginning of each year and individual children may have repeated lessons. The child may return when he feels “quieted.”
Q: May I observe in a classroom?
A: Yes, we encourage parental observations of our classrooms! Because we value the safety and security of our students, we ask that you call first to schedule an appointment.
Q: Do you offer a Kindergarten program?
A: Yes, we offer an afternoon Kindergarten program for children who meet a certain set of criteria and display signs of readiness.
Q: Will my child be able to skip public school Kindergarten after attending Montessori Kindergarten?
A: Most likely, the answer is yes. Every school district is different, therefore we highly recommend that all parents check with their local school district to find out more about their enrollment procedures.
Q: Do you have computers in your classrooms?
A: Although computers can definitely be useful in the classroom, we feel that the important skills that the children are learning are best taught using the concrete Montessori materials.
Q: Is Montessori right for my child?
A: We have observed very few cases of Montessori not fitting a child's needs. In the cases we have seen, we noticed significant inconsistencies between what was expected of the child at home and what was expected from him or her at school.
Still have questions?