Southampton Montessori School is a private pre-school and kindergarten. It is an affiliate of the American Montessori Society and chartered by the New York State Department of Education. The young child has a strong desire to understand the order in the world and a unique ability to absorb new concepts. The Montessori environment is a miniature world, carefully and attractively designed, which the child can examine and control. The child learns by working with a rich variety of manipulative materials. The three year curriculum includes practical life, sensorial, language, history, science, art, music, and movement. Ability to focus on a chosen activity aids the child in developing concentration and a logical approach to problem solving. The Montessori materials present one concept at a time in a sequential manner, thus increasing the child's chance for successful completion and encouraging confidence and concentration. The child gains a sense of peaceful satisfaction from his or her accomplishments. The emotional and social development of the child is an important part of our program. We seek to create a warm, loving, respectful atmosphere. Emphasis is placed on helping children express feelings in constructive ways and develop social skills and a sense of responsibility for their own behavior within the school community. A philosophy of "freedom within limits" provides the basic framework for the children's interaction with the environment and each other. ...read more