Montessori Preschool to Open in Wakefield By John Cannon
WAKEFIELD - Standing in a classroom furnished with miniature chairs, desks and shelves, Kathy Vincent is full of big ideas.
As she looks around the room at 251B Post Road, Vincent sees the culmination of a long time dream to open a preschool.
"I have wanted to open a preschool for many years," she said. "To finally be so close is very exciting."
Vincent, who has been certified in early childhood by the state Department of Education, has been teaching in South County for 20 years. She established the Sandcastles Montessori Preschool to better prepare children for their future academic and social endeavors. The school is located in the church basement of New Life Assembly, at the corner of Post and Tuckertown roads.
Following the Montessori Method of Education, the school will offer students a unique opportunity to learn and to develop their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive skills in an individualized, child-directed environment. As Maria Montessori said, "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."
The curriculum will include language arts, mathematics, sensorial, geography and culture, Spanish, practical life, art and art history, science, music, and movement. Each area is organized in a section in the two-room school, allowing students to access the self-correcting materials designed by the Montessori organization.
"Our philosophy is based on choices," Vincent said. "Students have the option each day to work on any area of the curriculum they want. By being independent and making their own decisions, students will learn to concentrate better and to develop good learning habits, which will stay with them for the rest of their lives."
By offering a small-group environment, Vincent will become well acquainted with each of her students and their families, making it easier to address problems.
"Because the groups will have no more than 12 children, we can fix any problems the students may have," Vincent said. "The classroom will be set up for independent learning, which will allow us to help one student while the others continue to do their work."
Sandcastles also will stress social interaction both in the family and among peers.
"We want to encourage strong home-school relationships," Vincent said. "Parent involvement will be a major factor in the community we hope to establish."
Parents will receive an open invitation to come to class anytime they want, either to cook with the children, read or simply meet other students and parents in the Sandcastles community. Also, parents will be offered the opportunity to accompany students on any of the monthly field trips, which will take them to the Narragansett Town Beach, the Kinney Azalea Gardens in Kingston, or the Biomes in North Kingstown.
"While we do stress academic enhancement here, we will strongly focus on social values and relationships," Vincent said.
As part of this goal, she has structured the school into several programs, all of which are two and a half hours long and no more than three days a week. This leaves students plenty of time to become involved in extracurricular activities and to spend important time with their family members.
"In most preschools, students are at the school all day, which eliminates other opportunities they may have been able to take advantage of," she said. "I wanted the children the children to be able to enjoy activities both in and out of the school."
The Sandcastles Montessori Preschool will be open in September and offer two-day and three-day morning sessions, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and afternoon sessions, from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Children can register either by visiting the school' web site at www.sandcastlesmontessoripreschool.com or by calling the school at 789-1965.
