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Frequently Asked QuestionsChoosing the right school is a difficult decision for families. There are many important factors that effect a family’s decision to enroll in a school. At EMH, we are aware of all these issues and want families to find the right school for their children. On this page, we answer some of our most common questions. We hope you find this to be useful. If any question you have is not answered, please feel free to contact us. Admissions Before enrolling your child in any school, it is important to make sure that the school’s program meets your needs in the hours the school is open, the number of holidays observed and the ages of children enrolled.
Some common questions are: Q. What ages of children are enrolled in your school? Q. What hours are your programs? Q. Do you offer before and afterschool care? Q. What is the Enrichment Program? Q. What is the Health Education program? Will my child be a part of it? Q. How do you come up with the annual calendar? Q. On what holidays is your school closed? Q. Why is your program so small? Q. What is the summer program? Financial Policies It is important to understand the financial policies of a school before enrolling your child. Some common questions we receive about our financial policies are: Q. Why is the EMH tuition so much less than other Montessori schools in the area? Q. Why do I pay monthly instead of weekly? Q. Do I lose my money if school is closed for a snow day? Q. Do you accept state assistance? Montessori for Kindergarteners The question that many Montessori parents of four years olds ask themselves is: Why spend precious family resources on one more year of Montessori when we can enroll our child in a local kindergarten program for free? It's a fair question, and its deserves careful consideration. Every family circumstances are different, and it not necessarily finances. Every Montessori administrator can cite examples of how families of modest means go to extraordinary lengths to keep their children in Montessori. Here are a few answers to some of the questions parents often ask about Montessori for their kindergarten child. Q: What is the most important advantage of keeping my five year old in Montessori? The Montessori Method Although Montessori schools are not uncommon, there are still many areas of confusions regarding what Montessori really is. Some answers to common questions can be found on our page The Montessori Method, which we hope you find informative. Some common questions not answered on that page are: Q: How do you handle discipline problems? Q: How do the children learn to socialize and share? Q: How do I know if a school is a "true" Montessori School? Q. What is the difference between AMI certification and AMS certification? Q. Does Montessori work for children with special needs? Answers to common questions: Admissions Q. What ages of children are enrolled in your school? We are licensed for children between the ages of 2 years 9 months and 8 years of age.
Q. What hours are your programs? We have a morning program from 9:00am – 12:00pm (noon), an afternoon program from 12:00pm – 3:00pm and a full day program from 9:00am – 12:00pm.
Q. Do you offer before and afterschool care? Yes. We offer unlimited before school care and afterschool care for children enrolled in our program.
Q. What is the Enrichment Program? The Enrichment Program was developed by our teacher and program coordinator to complement our educational program. The Enrichment Program includes: piano lessons, STEM activities, arts and physical activities. Our program coordinator is also an EMH teacher. All of our Enrichment Activities are relevant to the topics covered in school and these activities help your child develop important life skills, confidence and an interest in learning. Our program is at no additional cost to children enrolled in the full day (9:00am – 3:00pm) program.
Q. What is the Health Education program? Will my child be a part of it? Our program coordinator is a preschool teacher with work as a scientist in the medical research. She is passionate about health and developed the EMH Health Education program to address all aspects of health, presented in a manner easy for preschoolers to understand. All children enrolled at EMH are also enrolled in the Health Education program.
Q. How do you come up with the annual calendar? We do not. We follow the Dracut, MA public school calendar.
Q. On what holidays is your school closed? We observe the same holidays as the Dracut, MA public schools. Please refer to our annual calendar.
Q. Why is your program so small? We keep the program small to ensure each child receives the individual attention he or she requires. This allows us to get to know your child well and met his or her developmental, emotional and educational needs.
Q. What is the summer program? The summer program is an individualized tutoring program to prepare your child for the next school year for children 2 years 9 months to 12 years of age. If you find our summer program does not fit your needs, please contact us and let us know. If scheduling permits, we will try to accommodate your schedule. Financial Policies Q. Why is the EMH tuition so much less than other Montessori schools in the area? We are a family run school, so we are able to keep our costs low. Our savings get passed on to you, in the form of lower tuition. Q. Why do I pay monthly instead of weekly? We found that it is easier for us and our families to manage a budget if the tuition is paid monthly. Some months are longer than other months; it is difficult to maintain a budget if you pay a different amount each month. Q. If you observe holidays, why is the tuition payment the same each month? Am I paying for vacation days? Absolutely not. There are 180 days spread over 10 months in the school year. We calculated the tuition for the full year, and then divided that amount over 10 months. You only pay for the number of days you are enrolled: if you start on the first day of school, you pay for 180 days, but if you start later in the year, you only pay for the number of school days remaining. Q. Do I lose my money if school is closed for a snow day? No. We make up all snow days at the end of the year. Q. Do you accept state assistance? Yes. Please visit Child Care Circuit to learn more. Montessori for Kindergarteners Q: What is the most important short term-disadvantage of sending my five year old to the local schools? Q: What is the most important advantage of keeping my five year old in Montessori? Q: How will the multi-age grouping of a Montessori classroom affect my kindergarten child's ability to do her work? Q: Since my child will eventually end up in a neighborhood school, isn't it better to make the transition in kindergarten? Our real hope that children will have an incredible sense of self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning, and feelings of being closely bonded to their teachers and classmates. We want them to enjoy school and feel good about themselves as a students. Once these children have developed these internal skills, they can adapt to all sorts of new situations. When the time comes for them to go to their new school, they will take with them not only a vibrant curiosity but also an excitement about making new friends and learning new things. The kindergarten year is an important element to this process. The Montessori Method Q: My friend told me that Montessori allows a child to do whatever he wants to do, for as long as he wants to do it. Is it true? Q: How do you handle discipline problems?
Teachers will maintain order as they help the children towards self-discipline. The teachers will protect a child from another child, who does not yet have sufficient self-control. The teachers must maintain a discipline, so that all children feel safe. A child who is temporarily troublesome or disruptive will be asked to leave the group and to have a period of “time out” in the library of the school. Any form of physical punishment and verbal abuse is prohibited. The parents should have the primary responsibilities in disciplining their child. Any serious behavioral problem must be dealt with promptly with the help of the parents. If a serious problem cannot be solved within two weeks after having a conference with the respective parent(s) and the Director of Evergreen Montessori House, then the student may be dismissed from this pre-school. The Director of Evergreen Montessori House will give a written notice to the respective parent(s). In all circumstances, the decision of the Director is final. Q: How do the children learn to socialize and share? Sharing: Q: How do I know if a school is a "true" Montessori School? Q. What is the difference between AMI certification and AMS certification? AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) was established by Dr Maria Montessori and her son, Mr Mario Montessori. AMI schools implement the Montessori Method and use the Montessori tools, as prescribed by Dr Maria Montessori. Furthermore, our Founder and Director was trained under Dr Maria Montessori’s own students. AMS (American Montessori Society) was founded by Nancy McCormick Rambusch, an AMI Montessori trained teacher. She modified the Montessori Method to be a better fit for the American culture. Both AMI and AMS schools have something to offer families. Furthermore, because Maria Montessori never patented her name, anyone can use the name “Montessori”. The quality of Montessori schools and the teaching methods vary. As parents, it is important you visit schools to see if the school is a good match for your family. It is also important that you make sure the schools you are visit are accredited. Evergreen Montessori House has an AMI certified Director and is a certified preschool and kindergarten by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Q. I heard that AMI certified schools are “snobby” and only use teaching methods that were available when Dr Montessori was teaching. This is simply not true. AMI certified schools do teach children how to use technology and incorporate the latest research in education in the curriculum. At EMH, our teacher and program coordinator, who is a former scientific researcher, ensures our curriculum is up to date in all the latest research and developments. We have an enrichment program that stresses STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and a health education program that teaches children about current health issues. Q. Does Montessori work for children with special needs? Yes! Dr Montessori developed the Montessori Method when she worked with children with special needs. Using the scientific method, she carefully observed the children in her care and developed education tools that were beneficial to children with special needs. She later applied what she learned with special needs children to children without special needs and found that the same tools worked. Thus, the Montessori Method is beneficial to every child.
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