Montessori schools are expensive, so if you're planning to put in $20k of your money to send your child into one, consider these 5 mistakes you might be making before doing so!

1. Pulling out of Montessori school too soon.

First is pulling your child out of Montessori school too early to send them to public school. The first 6 years of a child’s life are the most important to set them up for success. What happens to a child in these years can impact their physical and mental development. Especially if your child is thriving in a Montessori setting, pulling them out may stunt their development and growth.

2. Not checking if the school is practicing Montessori.

The second mistake is enrolling your child in a school that isn’t actually practicing Montessori. The problem with the word “Montessori” is that any school can call themselves that. Surprised?! It’s because Dr. Maria Montessori never trademarked the name. So anyone can take it, use it, and not get sued. That means schools can capitalize on parent’s desire to send their children to the best schools, even though they may not actually practice the philosophy.

Look for schools that are accredited by a bodying member of Montessori educators that you can find on their website. These are the schools that have been thoroughly assessed by qualified Montessori-trained educators

3. Not following through at home.

The third mistake is not following through when teaching your child to be independent at home. Your child spends more time with you than at school. You are their first teachers.

Montessori schools teach children to be independent by encouraging them to do everything on their own with minimal to no assistance. That includes independently getting ready to go outside, or eating, or even using the washroom. So, when they go home, and these tasks are not being followed through because parents want to help with everything, the lessons they are learning in school becomes undone, and it prolongs their ability to become independent.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t help your child at all, what I’m saying is that you shouldn’t make it a habit to help your child with tasks they can do on their own.

Something I love that Maria Montessori said is, “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

When children are constantly assisted with tasks at which they themselves wanted to do in the first place, what can happen is their confidence can be negatively impacted. Why? Because what’s being communicated to them is that they are unable to do these things by themselves, and that’s why they always need assistance.

In Montessori, children are provided with assistance only when new tasks are being taught to them or when they are asking for it. Other than that, they are given the choice to explore what they are capable of doing on their own.

So, when you have the time, even if it’s just taking 10 min of your day, hold back the urge to help your child and allow them to explore what they can do on their own.

If you want to learn more about teaching your child Montessori principles at home, I’ve written a whole book about it, Fresh Montessori. You can download the first chapter for free at book.freshmontessori.com, or you can scan that QR code on the screen or find the link in the description.

4. Having unrealistic expectations.

The fourth mistake is having unrealistic expectations, like expecting your child to read in their first year. In my experience, children who begin attending a Montessori CASA (or preschool) program at 3 years old often don’t start reading until they’re 5 or 6 years old. So, sending a child in at 5 years old and expecting them to read within a year is unrealistic (in some cases).

So, if you plan to send your child to Montessori school with this expectation, be prepared to keep them in the school for more than a year if you want to start seeing results.

5. Having rotating teachers.

The fifth mistake is not knowing who will be teaching your child. If you’re going to enrol your child in any school, get to know who their teachers will be and if these are the teachers they will have throughout the year.

When your child’s classroom has supply teachers coming in and out throughout the year, for whatever reason, it becomes a challenge for your child to learn as they have to constantly adjust to a new teaching style. Supply teachers are okay when necessary, but preferably, you would want a classroom that has a teacher that your child can develop a relationship with throughout the year. This is how they will develop their sense of security, making it easier for them to learn and enjoy their time their.

I remember visiting a Montessori school once with my husband because we were looking for a school to enrol our child in. A question I asked them was if the teachers in the room will remain consistent throughout the year. Their response was that because they had a shortage in staff, they actually get a rotation of teachers from different locations around the city because this school had different branches around the country. Now this was an immediate red flag to me because I don’t want my child having to adjust to a new teacher every week if not everyday.

So, if you’re enrolling your child in a school, ask if it will be the same teachers teaching in the room all year. Remember, children feel the most secure in a consistent environment, especially in their early years.

So, to summarize, here are 3 questions you need to be asking yourself before enrolling your child to Montessori school:

1. Is the school following the Montessori method?
2. What is your expectation?
3. Will you have time to follow through with the lessons?

Thanks for reading! Stay FRESH!