PROVIDING QUALITY CARE FOR OVER 40 YEARS
The child is attracted to those things that give him independence and control of his own life. An important activity of the young child is to develop his muscles and coordinate his movement. This development enables him to focus his mind on a particular activity, i.e. to concentrate, therefore, to approach future tasks with greater proficiency. At our preschool, special materials enable him to learn to tie his shoes, button, and use many other fastening devices. With materials scaled to his size, the child enjoys sweeping, dusting, washing, polishing and gardening. Lessons on courtesy permit him to deal with everyday situations. The basis of the child’s interest is that these activities are real and exist in his every day life. It provides the very foundation on which the child approaches all other work.
Among the interests of the child from age three to six are experiences that involve his senses in his exploration of his environment. The child is able to exercise, discriminate, and learn the vocabulary which corresponds to his sensorial experiences. These tools of life afford the child the ability to form his frame of reference with which he can classify those inputs to his senses and allow greater opportunity to be successful in all other fields.
According to Dr. Montessori, the evolution of language begins with the infant’s unique capacity to absorb intact fragments of language, which will serve as a basis for his development. This continues through an orderly, unconscious process of assimilation and abstraction. This child first discovers that sounds have meaning, and then he isolates the parts of speech. Finally, he grasps the use of sentences. The constant assimilation of language results in a sudden expansion of vocabulary.
The child learns the oral language naturally. He automatically takes it from his own environment. The work of the teacher is to expose his to the equivalent forms of written language which he learns through the same general pattern of development.
The Montessori child begins reading when he is ready and proceeds at his own pace. His experiences in practical life and sensorial education serve as a preparation for this. The sandpaper letters provide a phonetic basis for reading. This child’s desire and sensitivity to touch are utilized by these letters that are cut out of sandpaper and mounted for tracing. He not only hears the sound and sees the shape, but trains his muscles for when he begins writing. With cut-out letters the child builds his own words on a mat. The material frees him from the fatigue of his still developing writing skills, and yet gives him the opportunity to pursue his interests in words. This child builds his store of words through storytelling, conversation and many exercises in the environment. These activities serve as preparation for the time when the child assimilates what he knows and explodes into reading.
Written language is clarified by illustrating the function of the parts of speech. When a child understands function, he has a concept that allows the definition to have meaning. Logical analysis of phrases, clauses, and sentences lead the child to a recognition of style in the works of literature. He perfects his reading ability through exercises in interpretive reading. The development of language is not limited to a single academic area. All subject matter is inter-related and organized around the child’s vital interests.
The materials for mathematics introduce the concept of quantity and the symbols for quantity – the numbers 1 through 10. The quantity is introduced by a series of rods, which the child can count and compare. He matches sets of symbol cards with the rods. Using a variety of beads and symbol cards the child becomes familiar with the numbers as a decimal system including concrete experiences with the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These exercises not only teach the child to calculate, but they provide a deep understanding of how numbers function. He learns concrete mathematical concepts and the materials lead him to the abstract, so that his understanding has substance. Because of the concrete nature of the materials, the child is able to work with the basics of factions and geometry.
We use simple science experiences to introduce and illustrate the phenomenas that are observed in nature. For example, experiments dealing with evaporation and condensation lead to an understanding of the rain cycle. Other scientific experiments form the basis for the study of biology, botany, geography and geology as well as physics and chemistry. These sciences are not taught simply for their implicit value; they are taught to give the child knowledge and thereby respect for the life around him.
A Montessori program is too extensive to give a brief treatment to every area. For more detailed information, it is recommended that you visit a Montessori classroom.
The children love the opportunity to express themselves musically. The have the opportunity to sing and dance with our wonderful music teachers.
We like to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special events with the children including Halloween, Thanksgiving, a winter holiday program, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation and more!
Exploring is essential for children to understand their surroundings. Children enjoy a variety of activities. In addition to our Montessori program, we offer music, piano, creative movement dance, gymnastics, yoga, creative movement dance and computer classes.
The most accurate means by which a school program can be evaluated is by the enthusiasm of the child at work. Dr. Montessori’s discoveries about the environment and the child have provided a love of learning for children all over the world.
The Montessori pre-primary program is designed for children from age of two and 1/2 through six years.
The teachers at Southern California Montessori are amazing. They are highly experienced and have been working at the school for many years. Most importantly, the teachers love children and treat them equally with respect. Unlike at many other places, the school director, Ms. Abellera is truly an educator with many years of experience in early child education. She is also approachable and easy to talk to. As parents, we learned a lot from her on how to raise and educate our child. The program is well balanced in learning and play with a good teacher/student ratio. Although we live far from the school it takes at least one hour each day in traffic, we feel it is worth the effort, because we know that our child is in good care by the teachers. Our son has been happy and learning a lot at the school.H.L.
My daughter and I have been very happy at SCMS. What I think makes the school unique is the emphasis on early education and proper behavior. They don’t just allow the children to run wild; they teach responsibility and respect and, of course, still provide a hug when needed. The teachers are great and the director, Ann, is very easy to talk to. Deanne Ozaki
We are proud parents of a 3 and a half year old girl who’s been enrolled at SoCal Montessori for the last 10 months. She absolutely loves her school and her teachers. She loves music and has a special fondness for Mr. Max, her music teacher. Also Ms. Abellera and Ms. Kiana are her other favorites. Our son, now in elementary school also went to SoCal Montessori and as such we have a long relationship with the school and its staff. We couldn’t have been happier about our choice for our children’s education especially at their young and formative age. The teachers and staff are smart, kind and great educators. They have consistently provided an environment that fosters learning, communication, friendship and other basic tenets of life. We are fans, and would highly recommend the school to everyone. We love it!Keyur & Mita Shah
With wonderful teachers, a caring atmosphere, and true Montessori process, it’s easy to understand why after more than two years at SCMS we’ve never had our daughter tell us she doesn’t want to go to school today.Alan and Bill Rakov
My daughter Stella, started attending Southern California Montessori School over a year ago at the age of 2 1/2. Since starting SCMS, she is thriving socially, academically, creatively, physically, and emotionally. She looks forward to attending pre-school every day and comes home a happy child who is excited to share her daily activities with me.Erin Tippins
We love this school! It has been a positive environment for my son to learn and grow. I like the concept of a mixed age group, where the younger kids learn from the older ones and the older children responsibly lead the younger ones. The teachers are all loving, supportive and dedicated to helping the children blossom. My son looks forward to going to school each day, to be creative, learn and play in a nurturing environment. Thank you Southern California Montessori School for being so wonderful in every way!Christina Fyffe
Southern California Montessori is L.A’s hidden gem. The incomparable teachers and staff manage to create a structured learning environment that still allows the children to explore their individuality. Yes, they’ve taught our son to read. But more importantly, he is genuinely happy there.John & Beth Sama
Both of my boys (now age 7 & 4) attended this preschool from age 2.5 to 5. The school does not require kids to be potty trained before attending school and the teachers take care of diaper changing for little ones, which provides great convenience for busy parents like us. Both my boys learned to follow directions and respect teachers soon after joining the school. The school also emphasizes on academic learning both on language and math skills. At age 3.5 to 4, both of my boys have completed phonics for all the letters and can read simple sentences themselves. They can also count to 100 and do simple addition and subtraction before age 4.5. In recent years the school enhanced the afternoon care by adding more toys/games and reading and group activity time for all kids stay after 3pm. we do feel that the teachers in this school, leading by Principle Miss Ann, love each kid and care about their safety and growth as much as we parents do. Joshua & Justin Xu
My husband and I have three children, ever since my oldest daughter attended the Southern California Montessori School for the first time in 2001; we fell in love with the school. We have continued to come to this school ever since then, my son studied there for 4 years and now my youngest daughter. The teachers are loving and caring. We drive over 20 miles from Torrance to attend the school. It is that much worth it to us. The small class size and school environment is just wonderful, there are a total of 40 kids at school which makes a close and tight relationship from the school family too! Our kids are confident when they graduate from the school and even now my older kids are excited to come back to school and visit.The Pengs
We are writing this letter on behalf of the Southern California Montessori School. Our child has been attending the school for 6 months and has had an extremely positive experience. The school is clean, well organized, and the teachers go above and beyond in caring for my son. After touring multiple schools in our area and choosing SCMS, we believe we made the smart, informed decision. Sandy and Jay Kridel
Southern California Montessori has been a second home to us. The teachers genuinely get to know your child so that they feel safe and happy. The teachers are patient and treat every child with respect. The children are learning so much that you will be impressed every time you sit down with your child to see what they can do! The school offers such a perfect combination of learning and play. Our daughter is petite but we have been so thankful that she is not underestimated at this school. We have watched her become a very independent, smart and respectful little person at this school. Cathy Lee/Vikas Chopra
This is our daughter’s second year at SoCal Montessori and we couldn’t be happier. Ms. Abellera and her wonderful staff are giving her exactly what she needs at this age. She learns so much and more importantly she loves to learn and enjoys showing us all her new projects and skills from school. At the end of each day, our only trouble is getting her to leave school. Thank you for all that you do for Sydney. You don’t know what a huge and wonderful role you play in her life and ours. Linh & Ryan
Southern California Montessori School Inc.
(310) 820-3925
1430 South Centinela Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90025
(Just South of Santa Monica Blvd.)
Driving Directions
