Pre-K Catholic Montessori Ages 3 and 4

Students experience the Catholic faith on a daily basis and participate in The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a unique religious formation program based upon Maria Montessori’s spiritual teachings and the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church using Sacred Scripture and Liturgy .

The ultimate goal of a Montessori school is to foster a child’s natural inclination to learn. Montessori teachers “guide” rather than “instruct” by linking a child’s interests, needs, and developmental level. At Cardinal Hickey Academy, we will offer children opportunities to develop their potential as they step out into the world as engaged, competent, responsible, and respectful citizens with an understanding and appreciation that learning is for life. Foreign language is also introduced in the Montessori setting.

Characteristics of Montessori Education

Each child is valued as a unique individual.

•  Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways, and accommodates all learning styles.

Beginning at an early age, Montessori students develop order, coordination, concentration, and independence.

•  Classroom design, materials, and daily routines support the individual’s emerging “self-regulation” (ability to educate one’s self, and to think about what one is learning), Teachers model respect, loving kindness, and a belief in peaceful conflict resolution. Students show grace and courtesy, and an interest in the welfare of others. “Let me help!” is a common classroom refrain.

Montessori students enjoy freedom within limits.

•  Working within parameters set by their teachers, students are active participants in deciding what their focus of learning will be. Montessorians understand that internal satisfaction drives the child’s curiosity and interest and results in joyous learning that is sustainable over a lifetime.