Give Your Child The Montessori Advantage
Montessori Academy fosters independence, confidence, critical thinking abilities, and creativity in a warm and welcoming environment. Our hands-on, ‘whole child’ approach supports each student’s unique qualities and individual learning style for a learning experience that’s compelling, effective, and fun!
✅ Innovative academic program
✅ Personalized & flexible approach works with each student’s unique gifts
✅ Hands-on exploration and discovery
✅ Love & care
✅ Low student-to-teacher ratio
✅ Mixed age group classes
✅ Natural play areas
✅ Friendly, collaborative environment
✅ Experienced & certified faculty
The Director’s Message
Director
Dawn Tasher
Welcome to Montessori Academy! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Montessori Academy. Each day at our school is an exciting new opportunity to enrich the minds of our students, and we hope your child will join us.
Montessori Academy welcomes students regardless of race, gender, national and ethnic origin, and is non-discriminatory in all our policies. We accept children between the ages of 2 and 6 years.
There are no specific academic entrance requirements; however, we base admission decisions on many factors, especially your child’s age and suitability for our program.
Please schedule your personal tour of our school. We will be happy to answer your questions and provide additional information about our educational programs.
Kind regards,
Dawn Tasher
Director, Montessori Academy
Why Choose Our Montessori Program?
Individualized LearningI
Each child works at the level they are capable of in every subject area and at a pace that they are capable of achieving. There is no pressure to keep up with their peers and if they are moving at a quicker pace, they are not held back.
Hands On LearningI
Every subject area has hands on interactive materials that the children use to explore and learn. This is a concrete way to teach a child that also makes learning fun. An example: when a child is learning numbers, they not only learn the names of the numbers, but they also count a quantity of that number.
Multi-Aged ClassroomsI
The sense of community begins here. Having 3 years of age groups within a classroom allows older children to help younger children, which builds self-esteem. This also encourages the younger children in their learning by allowing them to see the older children doing advanced work.
Sensitive Periods for LearningI
We recognize that children have periods in their development where they are more sensitive to learning certain concepts. We observe and realize when the child is ready to learn new concepts and introduce them at the appropriate time.
The Montessori’s approach is based on the simple concept of tailoring education to the child’s natural tendencies instead of imposing rules of the adult world on them. Montessori teachers believe that if a child is properly guided to enjoy learning, the child not only becomes at ease with themselves and their surroundings, but also continues to be confident and curious throughout the balance of their school years.
Far from being an unsupervised free-for-all, a Montessori education is well rounded, including not only math, language, science, art and geography, but also includes practical life activities and social skill activities. Children are guided to clean up their own messes with childsized tools, and learn the powerful effect of polite phrases like “please”, “thank you”, and “excuse me”.
When a conflict occurs between students, they are taught that anger is an natural emotion and they are guided to learn the words to express their feelings instead of being afraid of them or resorting to physical expression.
Our Staff
Our Montessori Trained and Certified Teachers
Here are the people who create a safe haven for your kids at the Montessori Academy of Valparaiso. Our staff takes a hands-on approach to learning and enabling the full development of manners and socialization in your kids. Call us to tour our facility and meet our staff.
The Role of the Montessori Teacher
Caregiver: The Teacher’s most important role. A care-giver strives to put aside her teaching and personal motives to serve the child’s developmental needs. A care giver is a reflective student of her own growth and development. Above all else, the care-giver is kind.
Guide: The guardian angel of the child’s health, safety, and well being. A guide strives to be physically present and available to the children. To be present means to be physically in the place and the time where we are needed most. To be available is the capacity to remain emotionally open and understanding in the face of the child’s ever evolving needs.
Companion: A partner who helps the child to know her mind and to own it. A companion strives to always see the child’s world and herself through the child’s eyes. A companion is a genuine friend who understands the joy of giving without expectation of return.
Educator: A collaborator with the child’s emerging skills and her parent’s developing understanding of childhood. An educator strives to perfect her approach to the child, to master the content of her presentations and to develop her ability to interpret for the child.
Colleague: A colleague treats her assistants, fellow teachers and administrators with honor and respect. A colleague strives to offer the members of her school’s community the best of herself.
Professional: A professional strives to be a pleasure to work with. She seeks a home where she is respected and her work is honored. A professional strives to keep her peace with the children, parents, and hers peers, regardless of her personal feelings in the moment. Where care giving matters are at stake, she is uncompromising and speaks her mind in a kind and forthright manner. She abides in the place where she is warmly supported and where she can reliably do her best work.
Our teaching faculty is comprised of dedicated and talented teachers who are, committed, and caring educators. At The Montessori Academy our classrooms are led by the following head teachers.
+ Miss Dawn Tasher
Miss Dawn is the owner, administrator, and coordinator of the Montessori preschool program. She also serves as a head teacher. She started the Montessori Academy in the fall of 2001. The children have benefited from Miss Dawn’s expertise in child development and the Montessori approach. She holds an AMS credential in Early Childhood Education. She believes in the Montessori method as it establishes a strong and nurturing relationship between the teacher and the student. Each child reaches his /her own potential by mastering the skills. Every individual in the classroom carves his / her own path of excellence.
+ Miss Barb Jaworski
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Miss Barb’s educational approach is to assist the child in developing their inner potential through the art of learning, supporting knowledge with hands on materials, and growth, through their experiences in the Montessori environment. She holds an AMS credential in Early Childhood Education. She is well trained in educating children during their sensitive years. This is a time of great development in their lives. Miss Barb has been educating young children for over 17 years. We have been blessed to have Miss Barb with us since the fall of 2003. She has had experience as an assistant teacher at another facility, and has shared her expertise with us and we are privileged to have her on our staff.