This year is almost over and the next year hopefully will make life normal again. But no matter what, life is limping back to normal and so is every household. If your child is ready to go to a Montessori school next year, you must start looking for one at least one or two months before. Only then you can find the best Montessori in Buena Park, CA for your little one. The criteria for a good school has slightly changed thanks to the unprecedented pandemic we faced this year. So, here is an updated list of tips on how to choose a good Montessori school in 2021.

To start with, check the sanitization schedule of the school. The pandemic is not over; and unless a credible vaccine comes out, it is better to be safe than sorry. Hence, make sure that the school you choose follows all the rules and guidelines laid down by the CDC regarding maintaining social distancing, sanitization, and other procedures. The teachers are no expected to know how to read the temperature of the children when they come to school. Also, the school should also stress things that reduce physical contact as much as possible; for example, paying online or through digital payment method and also remote sign in for parents. If the school brochure shows such information, then it is a good school to consider for your child.

The next thing to look for is of course the certification and accreditation of the institute. One of the best organizations to have a certificate from for teachers is the Association Montessori Internationale or AMI which is the organization founded by Maria Montessori herself! Similarly, accreditation from the American Montessori Society is also a good benchmark to judge the quality of a school.

The teaching schedule and pattern of the school is the third thing to look at. As per the teaching of Maria Montessori, children should be given 3 hours of uninterrupted work period where the children will be supervised as they learn by themselves by interacting with various educational toys and games a good Montessori school classroom will have. A class schedule between 2.5 to 3 hours is a great way a child learns how to focus on what they are learning; when the class schedule is less than that, their attention span is broken, and it is very difficult for them to go back to that learning zone.

The last thing to consider is the size of the classroom and the age group of the children. Post-COVID, the classroom size should be small so as to maintain distancing as much as possible. As for the age group, the classroom should have a mixed age group starting from 2.5 to 3 in one group, and 4 to 5-year olds in another group. Such mixing allows the children to learn from their peers, develop social skills and have a well-rounded development. Furthermore, there should be no homework or pressure to study. The main philosophy of Montessori teaching is letting children learn easily and within their capacity; and a good Montessori in Buena Park, CA should be following that.