At Community Montessori School we wholeheartedly embrace the philosophy of Maria Montessori, who, in the early 20th century, set about to educate children while meeting their developmental needs. Montessori's experience showed her that children would educate themselves when placed in a beautiful and rich environment that would entice them to manipulate and explore. Through scientific observations she saw that children need to use their hands and eyes together in the learning process.

"Never give more to the eye than to the hand," she wrote. From this understanding, Maria Montessori created sensorial materials that help the child comprehend the qualities of the universe: varying dimensions, shapes, colors, sounds, etc. She devised math materials to be counted: beads, bars, squares and cubes, among others, and language materials also calling to be touched: letters made of rough sandpaper to be traced, cutout letters to be ordered. Similarly, she made materials for the active exploration of music, geography, botany, and geometry. The Montessori classrooms are overflowing with beautifully crafted exercises calling to the child. The trained adults in the class are called "guides", as they present lessons to the children, and then let the child take over the learning process.

Maria Montessori also gave developmental guideposts for working with children. She noted that all children from the ages of 0-6 have an Absorbent Mind. From 0-3, children absorb everything in their environments unconsciously, without any filtering process. From the ages of 3-6, children still have the absorbent mind, but it works consciously, absorbing what the child is interested in. Montessori also wrote and taught about The Sensitive Periods. Each child has times in the early years when he can learn in a certain way more perfectly and with greater ease than at any other time. There are sensitive periods we are aware of, from observing them - movement (a baby learning to walk), and language (a toddler learning to talk). The sensitive periods of movement and language are extended to age 6, but there are also sensitive periods for order, touch, attention to small detail and learning social skills.

Montessori classes depend on children being in mixed aged groups: toddlers - 18 months through 3 years, primary - 3 to 6 years, and lower elementary - 6 to 9 years. Within these boundaries, children are able to form communities; the older children become leaders and role models for the younger ones. In these microcosms, the guide is there to give suggestions and create opportunities. Practical life activities are the basis for early classroom explorations by the young children; they polish and scrub as they refine their hand movements and learn more and more independence. The older children use practical life as needed to keep the environment clean and beautiful. They prepare the lunch settings, clean up after themselves, arrange flowers, sew, and do gardening and cooking. As the children refine their hand movements and become more and more responsible for their environment, they also begin to draw on the academic lessons they are absorbing, and develop the will to work without adult intervention. With her hand and mind and will all forming at developmentally appropriate times, the child moves forth as an eager learner and a responsible contributor to her community.