Courtyard Montessori Philosophy

LET THE UNIQUENESS OF THE CHILD GUIDE OUR WORK

The Courtyard Montessori Preschool was established in 1980 to embrace the Montessori philosophy and offer a Montessori education to tamariki and whānau in Ōtautahi.  To this day we continue to provide an authentic Montessori education to tamariki growing up in a diverse society that comprises people from a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities.

Through our cultural narrative the Courtyard Montessori Preschool acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and is committed to Tiriti-o Waitangi through our partnerships/relationships with whānau.  Ngà hononga/relationships are at the heart of who and what we stand for.  We are committed to ensuring Māori succeed as Māori by embracing Te Ao Māori cultural distinctiveness and potential in our everyday mahi so our community of learners can enjoy success in all aspects of life.

At the Courtyard Montessori Preschool, we believe each child is a “taonga tuku iho” – a treasure handed down, and a unique individual who has the potential to bring something distinctive and special to the world. Our Montessori environment promotes an older capable tuakana to guide and help the younger less expert teina to develop whanaungatanga – sense of belonging and inclusiveness to both the child and whānau to which the child belongs and to support each child to grow in hinengaro – mind, tinana – body, and wairua – spirit.  When we think of the ever-changing world, the future must lie in the next generation of tamariki who will appreciate and become kaitiaki of   this beautiful planet that they live on.

It is our aspiration as Early Childhood and Montessori kaiako to empower tamariki to discover this inner potential by believing them to be capable individuals who can become lifelong learners.  In reciprocal partnership with whānau we will strive to nurture each child’s hauora – holistic development to the fullest, building strong trusting relationships between preschool, tamariki and whānau and the wider community sharing ongoing planning, documentation, and evaluation of children’s learning.

Our kaiako are qualified in both Early Childhood Education and Montessori Education that promotes the delivery of excellence as a core value to our teaching. The Montessori philosophy aligns well with Te Whāriki’s balance of child-led free choice and exploration of interests alongside intentional teaching using the Montessori materials. We will keep up to date with current research in Early Childhood Education and participate in relevant professional development opportunities that ultimately provide successful outcomes for tamariki.

Mutual respect will be developed through tamariki freely expressing themselves and kaiako supporting tamariki develop ‘ways of being‘ will lead to tino rangatiratanga – autonomy and determining outcomes for future success.