“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six” ~ Maria Montessori

Welcome To Redondo Beach Montessori School

Redondo Beach Montessori School, as well as our sister schools, Newport Montessori School, South Bay Montessori School, and Irvine Montessori School, are private, independent schools serving children aged 18 months through 6 years. Redondo Beach Montessori School is a nurturing and supportive school. Every child is respected as an individual and valued as part of the community. They learn respect for themselves, others, and their environment. Children are encouraged to be independent, self-motivated, and responsible as they discover who they are and who they want to become.

The school goal is to educate the whole person through the Montessori approach, which addresses the intellectual, social, emotional and physical needs of each child. The highly successful Montessori curriculum, outstanding teachers, small class size, and unmatched level of individual attention ensure that Redondo Beach Montessori School students are learning at their own accelerated pace.

The philosophy of the Redondo Beach Montessori School community is the encouragement of the child’s interests and curiosity and the development of responsible, independent thinking that fosters a life-long love of learning.

According to Dr. Maria Montessori, “The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six.” This journey is a remarkable time in a child’s life. At Redondo Beach Montessori School, through the dynamic partnership of teacher, parent, and child, a consistent Montessori framework for learning is established, offering “An Education for Life.”

Maria Montessori’s Method

Maria Montessori was born in 1870 and was the first woman to be granted a medical degree by an Italian university. Influenced by the work of Seguin and Itard in France, Montessori designed materials and techniques that allowed children to work in areas previously considered beyond their capacity. Through her observations, Montessori realized that the learning experience occurs naturally and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child. She wrote, “It is true; we cannot make a genius.” “We can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure, and balanced human being,” Montessori’s life work began with a group of disadvantaged children in 1907 when she opened her famous Casa de Bambini. She developed an approach that acknowledged the first six years of life to be the most important in human development. Dr. Montessori discovered that during these early years, children have an amazing capacity to absorb knowledge from their surroundings. She frequently compared the young mind to a sponge and called this phenomenon “The Absorbent Mind.” Children teach themselves! This is the underlying theme that Montessori stresses throughout her philosophy of early childhood education. Montessori saw in the child a natural desire to work and learn. She emphasized that the hand is the chief teacher of the child. In order to learn, there must be concentration, and the best way a child can concentrate is by fixing his attention on some task he is performing with his hands. All the unique Montessori materials in a classroom allow the child to reinforce his casual impressions by inviting him to use his hands for learning. Another observation of Dr. Montessori was the importance of the “Sensitive Periods” for early learning. These are periods of intense fascination with learning a particular characteristic or skill. It is easier for the child to learn a particular skill during the corresponding sensitive period than at any other time in a child’s life. Montessori-based classrooms take advantage of this fact by allowing the child freedom to select individual activities that correspond to his or her own period of interest.

Dr. Montessori’s whole approach to education was in the spirit of constant experimentation based on the observation of the child. One of Montessori’s primary goals was to promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and cognitive preparation so every child could fulfill their utmost potential. She believed that the potential of the child is not just mental but is revealed only when the complete “Montessori method” is understood and followed. The child’s choice, practical work, care of others and the environment, and above all, the high levels of concentration reached when work is respected and not interrupted, reveal a human being that is superior not only academically but emotionally and spiritually, a child who cares deeply about other people and the world and who works to discover a unique and individual way to contribute. This is the essence of real “Montessori” work today.

Dedicated to the Montessori method, Redondo Beach Montessori School implements these unique Montessori characteristics as part of our everyday curriculum.

  • Three-Year Cycle: A mixed age-grouping revolves around a three-year cycle, providing children an opportunity to learn from each other, to act as role models for learning, and to respond to their natural drive to work. This stimulating, cooperative atmosphere allows the children to develop at their individual rate over the three-year period and to take each subject of study to a deeper level of understanding with each year.
  • Sensitive Periods: Applying her expertise in neuroscience, Dr. Montessori was the first to design an educational system that recognizes that there are certain times that are optimal for a child to develop a particular skill. The purpose of the Montessori method is to match the appropriate instruction to the individual child’s sensitive period for skill mastery.
  • Prepared Environment: Designed with the child in mind, the learning environment is beautiful, child-sized, and thoughtfully arranged. This includes a full array of developmentally appropriate activities and uniquely designed materials that intrigue children at each evolving, sensitive period. The outdoor environment stimulates interaction with the natural world while planting the seeds for scientific inquiry.
  • Materials: Montessori-designed educational materials and teacher-developed activities encourage sensory exploration of the world. They help children develop concentration, observation, and assessment skills. The use of self-correcting materials promotes independent learning, while the sequential order (advancing in degree of difficulty and abstraction) encourages children to reach higher levels of learning.
  • Independence — All materials and activities are designed to inspire age-appropriate independence, creating a small society of capable, independent learners working together. During sensitive periods of development, the teacher provides direct instruction. After that, the child begins to work with the materials independently.
  • Teachers as Observers: Through observation and attention to sensitive periods of development, teachers guide each child through the curriculum by introducing concepts and materials in individual and small-group lessons. Children are then encouraged to practice and refine their skills through repetition. The introduction of new challenges occurs when the child is ready to progress to the next phase of learning. As children grow at their own pace, consecutive lessons are presented, and additional materials are used to explore ideas more intensely.
  • Big Picture Focus: The Montessori curriculum is described as “cosmic,” meaning that it is a comprehensive, integrated design that successively builds on prior educational exposure, creating breadth and depth of knowledge.

Mission Statement:

Redondo Beach Montessori School is dedicated to providing an enriching and challenging educational environment where each child is encouraged to grow to his or her fullest potential academically, emotionally, and socially. Through the dynamic partnership of child, parent, and teacher, a consistent Montessori framework for learning is established, offering “An Education for Life.”

Philosophy, Purpose And Goals

Redondo Beach Montessori School promotes the teaching of Dr. Maria Montessori, who believed that all deserve the opportunity to become the most complete “person” possible; continuing her work, we are dedicated to growing confidence, creativity and strength in each of the children entrusted to our care.

Like the first Casa de Bambini that Maria Montessori opened in 1907 in Rome, ours is a “house” for children, not a classroom, but a “community”. It is a special learning environment designed for your child—to touch, experience, care for, and learn from.

At IMS, each child progresses at his or her own pace – free to choose work from a world of vivid sensory materials and tools of discovery. Our dedicated staff encourages independent thinking and individual learning. We work toward the enhancement of each child’s awareness of and participation in the “wholeness of life.”

Redondo Beach Montessori School’s method is based on respect for the individual child and their timetable for growth and development. Each day, we strive to:

  • Awaken a love of learning, a passion for knowledge, and a joy of creativity in each student.
  • Provide a peaceful, secure, and prepared environment where children long to be.
  • Help children discover their abilities, find their independence, and develop their self-confidence.
  • Foster a strong sense of self, respect for others, and the ability to work as part of a group.
  • Develop a strong academic foundation and a repertoire of life skills in each of our students.
  • Create and provide programs that will heighten a child’s development through the processes of exploration and discovery with concrete materials, while nurturing a natural curiosity and a love of learning.
  • Provide a reliable source of care, support, information, and training for families.

Our Teachers

One of the greatest strengths of our school is the highly trained and qualified teachers who take personal interest in their students and parents. Our experienced teachers understand that when the bond between home and school is closely knit, the child feels connected and secure, awakening his/her natural abilities. The teachers are eager to share the joy of Montessori and to offer a rich, engaging environment prepared especially for your child.

Our Montessori teachers function as facilitators of learning. As such, they are the designers of the environment, resource persons, guides, role models, demonstrators, and meticulous observers and recorders of each student’s behavior and growth. In addition to their college educations, all of our head teachers hold a Montessori diploma. The entire staff participates in continuing education efforts in child development, Montessori Methodology, and California state requirements. Redondo Beach Montessori School is very proud of our teaching staff and invites you to become better acquainted with them.

Values and Diversity

From the very beginning, Redondo Beach Montessori School children observe and reflect on the Montessori philosophy of grace, courtesy, respect, and openness to others. As the children move through our program, they are encouraged to think about their role within their community and their environment, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that benefit the larger world outside the classroom and that reflect compassion, empathy, and a commitment to peace and justice. Drawing students from many countries and cultures, the school encourages families to share their histories and traditions during our multicultural week. For example, teachers and parents give presentations on Diwali, the Lunar New Year, Cinco de Mayo, and the Japanese tea ceremony. The school’s mission regarding diversity grows out of these fundamental values.

The school’s diversity statement reads:

Redondo Beach Montessori School is committed to welcoming, recruiting, sustaining, and supporting students and their families, faculty, and administrative staff from a diverse mix of racial, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, family style, sexual orientation, learning styles, physical differences, and religious backgrounds, in order to create an inclusive community and prepare our children to be leaders in a multicultural world.