Kindergarten

The Kindergarten year in a Primary classroom is the culmination of the Montessori Three Year Cycle. In this crucial year, the 5- and 6- year old children represent the oldest children in MMA’s Primary classrooms. This final year of their 3-year cycle provides them with many advantages, from having the opportunity to be classroom leaders and mentors, to stretching their learning with the Montessori materials in the most complex of ways, all while remaining in the nurturing and familiar classroom community they have grown to be a part of over the course of three years. This capstone year of the MMA Early Childhood program provides Kindergarteners with great benefits in their academic and social-emotional development.

During the morning work cycle, Kindergarteners have a special role in their Primary classrooms. As the oldest, most experienced children in Primary, they become leaders and role models to their 3- and 4- year old peers. Sometimes, they even give lessons to their younger classmates! The cultivation of leadership skills in the mixed-age setting is one of the key benefits of a Montessori Kindergarten year.

In the afternoon, the Kindergarten class is separated from the mixed-age classroom for work in an exclusively same-age peer environment. This afternoon time provides a great deal of subtle preparation for first grade expectations, similar to what students would find in a traditional school setting. The beauty of our Montessori Kindergarten is that the children continue to work and progress as they are ready. They do not need to wait for or catch up to the rest of the group—instead, they work at their own pace, making great academic strides and gaining confidence along the way.

The Kindergarteners also receive benefits that the younger children in Primary look forward to. This is the year they are introduced to our Enrichment Programs. The afternoons provide the Kindergarten children with a second work cycle, as well as time in The Studio and Gym, getting specialized instruction in Music and Art, as well as Physical Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Kindergarten Program follows a typical school year, beginning in August and ending in May. Children must be 5-years-old on or before December 31st of the year of enrollment to be eligible to join Kindergarten.

Integrated Kindergarten does not cost anything extra! We even have some scholarships available.

Children build upon the work they do in the mornings, while gaining necessary skills socially and academically to help them succeed in first grade. While in the mornings they are considered the leaders of the classroom, as the oldest children, in the afternoons they will be amongst all their Kindergarten peers from the other Primary communities.

Our Elementary and Kindergarten children receive instruction in Physical Education and Fine Arts, including: Art Elements and History, Instrument Introduction, and Music Elements and History.